ty  of  California 
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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT  OF 


COMMODORE  BYRON  MCCANDLESS 


^rr. 


Mandarines  Country  Seat 


A  Picturesque  and  Historic  Description  of  these  LanJs  and  Peoples 


By   G.   Waldo    Browne 

Author  of  "  Paradise  of  the  Pacific,"  "  Pearl  of  the  Orient,"  etc. 

IVitb  a   General    Introduction   by    EDWARD   S.    ELLIS,   A.  M. 

Author  of  "  History  of  Our  Country,"  "  People's  History  of  the  United  States," 

"  Youth's  History  of  the   United  States',"  etc. 

With  the  followi'ig  Special  Articles 


By    the    Honorable    HENRY    Cabot    LODGE 

By    Major-General   JOSEPH    WHEELER 

By    His    Excellency    KOGORO    TakaHIRA 

(Hhhta 

By    the    Honorable  JOHN    D.    LONG 

(Cuba 

By    General     LEONARD    WOOD 

JJnrtn  Biro 

Bv   the    Hononble    CHARLES   H.    ALLEN 


Illuslratedby  about  1,200  Photogravures,  Colored  Plates,  Engravings  &  Maps 


MARSHALL      f  ()  N  1{  S      COMPANY 

BOSTON 


Copyright,  t<)0' 
Uy  Dana  Estes  &  Comfany 

All  rights  reserved 

Copyright.,  igoy 
By   Makshali   Iones  Company 


'J 

V.3 


CONTENTS 


VOJ  UME    III 


JAPAN  —  Continued 

CHAi^rfm 

\'lil.  XiKKO  AND  Its  Temples 

IX.  Natives  ok  the  Gkeenwoods 

X.  Lakes  of  the  Highlands  . 

XI.  In  the  Wilds 

XII.  The  Kden  ok  the  North 

XIII.  .Shadows  of  Dkpauted  Power 

XIV.  The  Wonders  of  .\tami 
XV.  The  Rip  Va.v  Winkle  of  .Japan 

XVI.  Regio.v  of  the  Great  Earthquake 

XVII.  .\lono  the  Inland  Sea 

XVIII.  The  Heart  of  Japan  . 

XI.\.  The  Flower  of  Religion 

.\X.  Religious  Festivals  . 

XXI.  The  Pine  of  the  Lovers 

X.XII.  The  Market  of  Mirth 

XXIII.  The  Star  Lovers 

XXIV.  Pa.stimes  of  a  People 
XXV.  Indoor  Recreations  . 

XXV'I.  When  the  Wurld  Was  New 


PAQE 

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1024461 


FULL   PAGE    ENGRAVINGS 


VOLUME   UI 


Mandarin's  Country  Seat.     Phologramre 
Chiusenji  Lakk,  Xikko     ... 
A  Buddhist  Temple.     Coloured 
I.MAICHI  Road,  Xikko         .... 
S.^CRED  Bridge,  Nikko      .... 
Tamadare  Waterfall,  at  Yuxioto 

Reading  a  Letter 

Ku.\iamoto  Castle 

Kaxiakura 

Japanese  Post.man.    Coloured 

Lilies     ....  ... 

Fujiyama,  fro.m  Orniya  Village    . 
Snowballs 


Coloured 


Fujiyama,  from  Iedzumi  Village  . 
Cherry  Tree,  Maruyama,  Kioto    . 
Bridge  at  .\rashiyama.    Coloured 
Junks     ....... 

FUJIYA.MA,  THE  Sacred  Mountain  of  Japan 
Plu.m  Blossoms 

KiNKAKU  Te.MPLE,  KiOTO   .... 

JiNRiKisHAS.     Coloured       .... 

.■\  Tea-house  Girl 

JAPANESE  Monkey  Trainer 

Bridge  over  the  Rio  Grande 

Wrestlers.     Coloured        .... 

Xarra  Temple  Gate  and  Stone  Lanterns 

Japanese  Actors.     Coloured    . 

Xagoya  Ca.stle    ... 

Japanese  Festive  Decorations,  Bentendori,  Yokohama 

The  Toilet .  . 


Frontispiece 

Facing  Page 

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(1 

518 

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522 

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t( 

550 

<> 

558 

LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


VOLUME    HI 


Stable,  Nikko  .... 

Y.\sH.\.MO.\  Gate,  Nikko 

Monkey  Carved  Stable,  Nikko 

Temple  at  Nikko 

Sacked  Post  at  Nikko    . 

Kanaya  Hotel  at  Kikko 

A  Buddhist  Shrine 

View  of  Matsushima 

Tame  Deer,  Nara    . 

A  Public  1'leasure  Resort,  Kan 

azawa  .... 

A  Cobbler         .... 
A  "  Tea-house  Womax  "  i.v  Jix 

RIKISHA  .... 

Folding  Clothes      ... 

Washing 

Resting  Kago  .... 

YUMOTO 

Husking  Rice   .... 

Fujiyama 

FujiYA  Hotel  at  Miyanoshita 

ToRii,  Shinto  Temple  Grounds 

Country  Girls 

School,  Old  Style  . 

Rekresh.ment  Seller 

A  Fisherman     .... 

Lantern  .Makers 

Feedinc;  Silkworms 

Yo  Mei  Gate,  Nikko 

Main  Street,  Tokyo 

View  on  the  Uluff,  Yokohama 

Road  TO  THE  Temple 

A  Ru.sTic  Te.mple  Shrine 

In  a  Nobleman's  Garden 

Irls  Garden 

View  at  .Atami 

In  a  Temple  Court 

A  Shinto  I'uie.st 

Theatre  at  Osaka 


PAGE 

374 
376 
377 
379 
3S0 
384 
385 
387 

3SS 
3«,)1) 

391 
393 
394 
397 
399 
401) 
403 
40,0 
407 
4()S 
409 
41_> 
414 
41.') 
41(i 
419 
4_".' 
4_'3 
424 

4J.T 

42H 
130 
131 
133 
134 
43,-) 


Fujikawa  River  Looking  toward 

Fujiyama 4.38 

Fujiyama 440 

Suwa-Yama  Mountain,  Kosfc       .  442 

Shiraito  Waterfall,  Fujiyama   .  444 
-Mountain  View  fro.m  Monastery 

Garden,  Nikko  .        .  446 

Girls  Warming  Themselves         .  447 

Country  Road 448 

Japanese  Physicia.v        .        .        .  449 

Girls  Dancing         ....  452 

Threshing  Rice       ....  454 

Carpenters 455 

Japanese  Tea  Trader     .        .        .  457 

Fishing  with  Cormorants     .        .  458 

River  View,  Nagasaki   .        .        .  461 

A  Waterfall  at  Kobe    .        .        .  463 

.\  Pleasure  Boat     ....  464 

.Japanese  Bedchamber    .        .        .  466 

\'iEW  of  MiYAjnL\    ....  467 

Bluff,  Yokoha.ma    ....  468 

Kyoto  from  Maruyama  .        .        .  471 

.A  Garden,  Kyoto     ....  472 

\'iEW  NEAR  Kyoto    ....  474 

GioN  Temple,  Kyoto       .        .        .  476 

Kiyomizu  at  Kyoto         .        .        .  478 

Temple  of  Shiba      ....  481 

Si  EPS  to  the  Sacred  Gate    .  482 
Typical    View    in    a    Monst^ry 

Garden 484 

Smiranui  Te.mple      ....  485 
Grove    Sukrocnding    a    Shinto- 

BuDDiii.sT  Shrine      .        .  4S7 

Dancing-girl,  Tokyo  .  489 

The  Sacred  Road    ....  490 

SniNio  Priest 491 

\'ii.LAGE  Festival     ....  W, 

Kdta  and  Samsin  Players    .        .  495 

A  Palanuuin 497 


Vlll 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

Toilet 499 

A  Sacred  Retreat  ....  500 
Great  Stone  Lantern,  Yokohama    501 

OiREAN  Girl 504 

A  Wrestling  Match       .       .       .     506 

Bronze  Horse 507 

Japanese  Doctor     ....     509 

Types 510 

Lake-shore  AND  FouAGE  .  .511 
Lantern  Seller  .  .  .  .514 
A  Wine  Cellar  .  .  .  .516 
Children's  FestivaIi       .        .        .     517 

Toy  Dealer 519 

A  Flower  Girl  ....  520 
Catching  Shell-fish  .  .  .  523 
A  Country  Seat  ....  524 
A  Beautiful  Garden  of  Tokyo  .  525 
Lantern  !\L\kers  ....  527 
Bracket  Bridge,  Fukagawa         .     52S 


PAGE 

i\IlYANOSHITA  RiVER 

, 

530 

Wrestlers 

. 

634 

Acrobats    . 

, 

535 

Actor  as  an  Old-time 

Warriob 

536 

Japanese  Kite  . 

,       , 

538 

A  Toy  Seller    . 

.       , 

539 

Geisha 

542 

A  Flute  Player 

543 

House  Cleaning 

o 

545 

Tea-house  Girl 

o                        o 

547 

An  Actor   . 

548 

Actors 

.                     e 

549 

A  Broom  Seller 

.                    . 

552 

A  Cooper    . 

. 

554 

A  Garden  Cascade  . 

.                     . 

556 

Iris  Garden 

. 

557 

Garden  at  Kagoshima 

558 

An  Inland  Sea 

BOO 

559 

JAPAN -Continued. 


CHAPTER  VITI. 

NIKKO    AND    ITS    TEMPLES. 

UNTIL  within  a  few  years  the  traveller  to  Nikko  could  get  no  nearer 
liy  rail  than  tlie  little  town  of  Utsunoniiya,  twenty-five  miles  from 
his  destination,  but  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  this  last  stage  of 
his  journey  more  than  made  up  for  the  added  inconvenience  of  travel. 
The  entire  way,  which  is  a  broad,  well-made  road,  as  highways  generally 
are  in  Japan,  is  bordered  by  twin  rows  of  loft}'  cryptomerias,  some  of 
them  risinjr  to  a  height  of  two  hundred  feet,  their  stately  bodies  free 
of  branches  for  more  than  half  that  distance.  These  grand  old  monarchs, 
excepting  a  few  that  have  taken  the  place  of  the  originals,  were  planted 
a  long  time  ago  by  a  nobleman  to  make  this  road  a  fitting  avenue  leading 
to  the  resting-place  of  the  shoguns  sleeping  in  their  bronze  tombs  on  the 
hills  of  the  city  of  temples. 

Truly  no  more  worthy  monument  could  have  been  raised,  and  it  is 
estimated  that  over  a  hundred  thousand  per.'sons  annually  make  their  pious 
pilgrimages  to  the  sacred  shrines  of  Kikko.  But  the  sublime  effect  has 
been  marred  by  the  modern  methods  of  travel,  and  a  band  of  pilgrims 
seeking  their  Mecca  on  an  express-train  lose  their  devout  appearance. 
All  over  Japan  the  railroad  is  robbing  it  of  much  of  its  old-time  grandeur, 

Nikko  nestles  at  the  foot  of  the  Nikko-zan  range  of  mountains,  in  one 
of  tlie  grandest  valleys  of  picturesque  Japan  two  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea.  It  has  a  cool,  salubrious  climate  in  summer,  so  it  is  a  popular  resort 
at  that  time,  as  well  as  being  the  keeper  of  the  proudest  temples  hi  the 
land.  Among  the  many  sacred  treasures  of  this  storehouse  of  nature, 
there  is  none  so  ancient  or  so  noble  as  the  venerable  mountains  clothed  in 
their  dense  growth  of  forest. 

The  city  of  temples  is  especially  fortunate  in  its  environments.  If  the 
mountains  are  the  noblest  in  the  northland,  the  waterfalls  are  the  wildest 
in  Japan.  One  of  them  leaps  a  sheer  350  feet  into  a  basin  of  snow ; 
another  is  broken  and  twisted  into  a  .series  of  cascades,  whose   silvery 

372 


JAI'AN. 


373 


beauty  cannot  be  conveyed  to  paper.  The  ancient  forests  are  hung  with 
rare  mosses,  that  give  theui  an  increased  appearance  of  hoariness.  The 
silence  and  solitariness  of  the  village  of  Irimachi,  hemmed  in  by  the 
towering  heights,  possesses  an  intensity  of  loneliness  beyond  comparison. 
But  everywhere  the  atmosphere  is  laden  with  the  sweet  perfumes  of  a 
thousand    flowers,    and    l)irds    of    rare    plumage    and    melodious    songs 


STAIII.E.     MKKO. 


enliven  the  scene.     Tlie  temperature,  too,  has  a  delight liil  and  invigor- 
ating tone,  both  healthful  and  hopeful. 

At  Nikko  is  seen  a  shrine  of  the  oldest  religion  in  .Japan  —  older  than 
her  history,  in  fact.  Beside  this  emblem  of  the  Shinto  faith  was  erected 
by  the  saint  Shodo  Shonin,  in  716,  a  temple  "t  Uiiddiia.  The  later  religion 
was  introduced  into  tiie  empire  from  China,  but  its  priests  were  wise 
enough  not  to  attempt  to  replace  the  primitive  Shinto  by  it,  being  content 
to  imite  the  two.  The  al)lest  and  most  powerfid  follower  of  Buddha  was, 
no  doubt,  that  great  warrior,  lyeyasu,  who  was  deified  by  the  emperor  as 
"  the  great  incarnation  of  Buddha,  the  Light  of  the  East."     Upon  his  death 


n74 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


this  noted  man  was  buried  at  Kiinozan,  in  the  southern  country,  and  noble 
shrines  were  built  to  immortalise  his  memory.  But  in  time  it  was  felt 
that  sufficient  honour  had  not  been  done  the  mighty  man,  and  it  was 
decided  to  remove  his  remains  to  a  more  fittmg  resting-place  at  Nikko. 

So  in  1617,  on  the  greatest  day  Nikko  ever  knew,  his  body  was  removed 
to  her  exalted  protection,  with  such  impressive  ceremonies  as  only  the 
rites  of  Buddha  can  afford.  Japan  has  never  seen  such  another  burial;  it 
majf  never  again  see  its  like.     The  remains  of  the  hero  were  borne  up  the 


Y.\SHAMON    GATE,    NIKKO. 


grand  avenue  lined  by  stately  cryptomerias,  to  the  mausoleum  on  the 
cedared  mount,  by  the  imperial  envoy,  made  up  of  a  long  train  of  noble- 
men with  two-sworded  retainers,  many  gorgeously  decked  priests,  and 
the  living  shogun. 

The  most-sought  approach  to  the  temple-tombs  of  the  illustrious  dead 
is  over  the  sacred  bridge,  which  is  a  wooden  structure  lacquered  a  deep 
red,  in  vivid  contrast  to  the  sombre  hue  of  the  pines,  and  supported  by 
stone  piers.  Gates  are  closed  at  either  end,  stopping  all  entrance,  except 
when  they  are  open  once  a  year  for  the  annual  festival,  and  vast  crowds 
pass  over  the  sacred  way.     Leaving  this  bridge,  the  avenue  lies  under 


JAl'AX. 


;37.j 


overhanging  cr}'ptomerias,  and  is  terraced  with  stones  worn  smooth  by 
many  footsteps. 

Midway  in  the  ascent  is  a  small  belfry,  looking  like  a  huge  mushroom 
under  its  big  sloping  roof,  covered  with  bronze  plates,  and  surmounted  by 
the  crest  of  lyeyasu.  A  bronze  bell,  rung  by  means  of  a  big  log  of  wood 
placed  at  an  angle  so  that,  upon  being  pulled  back  by  a  rope,  it  will 
strike  the  deep- toned  instrument  as  it  rebounds,  sends  forth  its  clear 
resonant  notes  so  as  to  be  heard  a  long  distance.  At  the  head  of  the 
terraced  ascent  stands  a  massive  sj-mbol  of  Shintoism,  a  granite  torii.  This 
is  twenty-seven  feet  and  six  inches  in  height,  but  looks  dwarfed  beside  the 
handsome  five-storied  pagoda  standing  near  by.  The  latter  has  a  beautiful 
crest,  its  stories  decreasing  in  size  as  they  stand  one  above  another.  The 
eaves  of  the  lower  story  are  decorated  by  the  painted  carvings  of  the 
twelve  Japanese  signs  of  the  zodiac :  the  rat,  ox,  tiger,  hare,  dragon,  ser- 
pent, horse,  goat,  ape,  cock,  dog,  and  pig. 

Broad  stone  steps  lead  to  the  entrance,  through  the  "  Gate  of  the  Two 
Kings,"  to  the  storehouses  containing  the  precious  relics  of  lyeyasu,  and 
the  numerous  belongings  of  the  temple.  In  the  great  courtyard,  with  its 
rows  of  stone  lanterns,  beside  these  two  structures,  with  their  large  tiled 
roofs,  is  another  and  larger  building,  with  painted  carvings  of  elephants 
showing  their  hind  legs  turned  the  wrong  way.  These  ornaments  are  the 
work  of  the  famous  left-handed  artist,  Hidari  Jing(jro,  and  are  considered 
marvels  of  artistic  taste.  This  elegant  court  is  lighted,  on  special  occasion, 
by  118  magnificent  lanterns  placed  on  massive  stone  bases,  the  gifts  of 
noblemen  in  honour  of  the  sleeping  god  lyeyasu.  Kept  in  a  small  stable 
near  by  is  a  snow-white  pony  sacred  to  the  use  of  the  god.  This  building 
is  ornamented  by  the  carvings  of  three  monkeys,  supposed  to  represent  the 
unique  trinity  of  San-goku  no  saru,  the  trio  that  neither  see,  hear,  nor 
speak  any  evil.  This  fact  is  symbolised  by  the  attitudes  of  the  monkeys, 
one  having  his  paws  over  his  eyes,  the  second  covering  his  mouth,  and  the 
third  his  ears.  Wherever  one  goes  in  Japan  he  will  see  these  images  of 
blind,  dumb,  and  deaf  monkeys.  In  this  .same  court  is  a  cistern  fashioned 
out  of  solid  rock,  and  holding  holy  water,  which  comes  from  a  stream  on 
the  mountainside,  known  as  the  White  Thread  Cascade,  as  the  water  flows 
over  the  brink  of  the  precipice  in  such  a  delicate  layer  of  the  silvery  fluid 
as  to  look  to  be  a  part  of  the  glistening  stone. 


376 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


In  the  midst  of  his  admiration  of  this  scene  the  tourist  hears  the  soft 
ting-a-ling  of  golden  wind-bells  under  the  eaves  of  the  buildings,  as  they 
are  gently  swayed  to  and  fro  by  the  breeze. 

At  the  head  of  another  flight  of  steps  the  visitor  comes  upon  a  second 
court,  filled  with  wonder-works  of  Japanese  skill,  and  gifts  from  other 
coimtries.  Among  these  last  are  a  bronze  candelabrum,  that  belonged 
years  ago  to  a  king  of  Loochoo  ;  a  huge  candlestick  sent  from  Holland, 


MONKEY    CARVED    STABLE,    NIKKO. 


and  a  strange  bell  wliich  was  once  the  pride  of  a  Corean  king.  These 
gifts  came  from  those  kingdoms  when  they  were  considered  as  vassals  of 
Japan. 

Another  flight  of  steps  ascended,  and  the  visitor  pauses  before  the  Yo 
Mei  gate,  its  two  stories  decorated  with  remarkable  carvings  of  the  com- 
mon and  the  unusual  in  artistic  work.  Engraved  in  intricate  tracings  of 
marvelous  cunning  and  grotesque  invention  are  groups  of  happy  children, 
wise-looking  Chinese  sages,  heads  of  weird  dragons,  and  beasts  that  live 


JAPAN. 


377 


only  in  the  mythology  of  a  picturesque  people.     On  either  .'^ide  are  clois- 
ters prodigal  of  theii-  carvings  of  birds  and  flowers. 

As  the  ponderous  gate  swings  ajar  we  are  ushered  into  a  courtyard  con- 
taining several  buildings,  one  of  which  was  reserved  in  ancient  times  for 
the  kagura,  or  sacred  dance,  which  was  performed  by  priestesses  in  wide- 
flowing  silken  trousers,  an  overdress  of  gauzy  texture,  and  a  wreath  of 
artificial  flowers,  while  they  held  in  their  hands  tiny  bells,  that  gave  forth 
soft,  bewitching  music.     They  swirled  and  postured  in  absurd  positions, 


TK.Ml-I.K    AT    SIKKO. 


making  ridiculous  passes  with  their  fans  before  amused  priests.  Near  the 
centre  of  the  court  is  an  enclosure  holding  the  chapel,  which  contains  tliat 
universal  emblem  of  Shintoism,  the  golden  gohei,  attached  to  a  long  wand, 
and  a  Shinto  mirror  on  a  table  lacquered  a  deep  black.  Save  the  decora- 
tions of  l)ronze  figures  on  the  walls  and  ceilings,  carvings  and  frescoes  in 
gold  and  black  lacquer,  there  are  no  ornaments  hero.  But  the  dinniess  of 
the  light,  the  coolness  of  the  atmosphere,  and  the  deep  solemnity  that  per- 
vades the  sacred  precinct,  with  its  impressive  mementos  of  the  days  of 
old,  linger  long  with  the  beholder. 

There  is  another  way  leading  to  this  court,  through  an  old  gate  bearing 


378  THE   FAR   EAST. 

over  its  top  the  ancient  carving  of  a  sleeping  cat,  denoting  the  tireless 
sentry,  and  the  work  of  the  left-handed  artist  already  mentioned.  This 
path  leads  up  220  moss-grown  steps  to  that  spot  of  greatest  sanctity,  the 
tomb  of  Japan' s  greatest  ruler.  In  fact,  all  these  preludes  of  courts,  stone 
stairways,  massive  gates,  and  displays  of  decorations  have  been  only  the 
entrance  to  the  mausoleum. 

Situated  within  an  enclosure  of  lofty  walls  surmounted  with  a  balustrade, 
and  sheltered  by  stately  old  cryptomerias,  the  tomb  itself  is  unadorned, 
and  stands  an  impressive  and  fitting  resting-place  of  the  mighty  shogun. 
It  is  constructed  of  huge  blocks  of  stone,  crested  with  an  urn  of  gold, 
silver,  and  copper-bronze  raised  in  the  form  of  a  pagoda.  A  vase  of  bronze 
filled  with  lotus  flowers  and  leaves  in  brass,  a  bronze  tortoise  supporting  a 
stork,  an  ornament  typifying  the  length  of  the  days,  and  an  incense  burner 
of  the  same  metal,  all  stand  on  a  table  of  stone  in  front  of  the  tomb. 
Situated  on  this  noble  height  imder  the  deathless  shade  of  the  pines, 
and  behind  the  picturesque  temples  reared  in  his  honour,  the  great 
monarch  sleeps  amid  surroundings  in  keeping  with  his  illustrious  record. 
Truly,  in  no  other  land  is  fame  more  lasting,  or  honour  more  highl}' 
esteemed. 

Scarcely  inferior  to  this  sublime  mausoleum  is  the  monument  raised  to 
the  memory  of  his  grandson,  lyemitsu.  This  is  reached  by  an  avenue 
turning  from  the  approach  to  the  other.  In  this  direction,  courtyards  and 
flights  of  stone  steps,  gold  and  bronze  images,  grotesrpie  carvings,  temples 
to  the  Shinto  faith,  the  tomb  of  Yoritomo,  the  shrewd,  ambitious,  and  un- 
scrupulous founder  of  the  shogunate,  niches  filled  with  figures  of  m;ytho- 
logical  gods  and  goddesses,  among  which  ^ve  note  those  ridiculous  monsters 
with  prodigious  display  of  teeth  that  are  sujiposed  to  rule  the  wind  and 
thunder,  gates  that  show  both  art  and  skill  in  the  building,  an  oratory  as 
impressive  as  that  of  lyeyasu,  and  with  more  of  ornamentation ;  all  this, 
and  many  other  beauties,  which  to  describe  would  call  into  use  every 
synonomous  adjective  in  the  English  language  belonging  to  the  class  mag- 
nificent, until  we  stand  in  our  bare  feet  and  with  bowed  head  in  the 
tomb  of  this  noted  man. 

The  two  temples  and  their  environments  have  interests  that  are  different, 
as  the  first  has,  in  comparatively  late  years,  been  shorn  of  its  profuse 
adornments  and  rededicated  to  the  Shinto  gods,  whose  surroundings  are 


A  Buddhist  Temple 


JAPAN. 


always  of  the  simplest  kind  ;  while  the  latter  remains  in  Buddhist  hands, 
and  retains  the  ornate  glory  of  this  religion.  Its  storehouses  are  filled 
with  works  of  art  and  rare  paintings,  which  no  pen  can  adequately 
describe.  The  beauty,  grandeur,  and  sublimity  of  these  famous  shrines  of 
Nikko  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated.  Art  and  Nature  seem  to  have 
joined  hands  in  outdoing  themselves.  India,  famous  for  her  sacred  shrines, 
has  nothing  to  com- 
pare with  the  m . 
Even  w  hen  the 
Taj  Mahal,  that 
"  temple-tomb  of 
Asia,"  has  Vjeen 
placed  in  compari- 
son with  these  seen 
at  Nikko,  the  be- 
holder finds  all  the 
awe  and  wonder  of 
the  other,  placed 
amid  its  soleiuu 
sliadows,  revivified 
with  intensified  in- 
terest, until  he  feels 
that  it  was  here,  in 
the  mountains  of 
the  north,  art  began 
and  temples  had 
their  origin. 

Leaving  these 
splendid  sepulchres  of  the  founder  of  the  Tokugawa  dynasty,  and  his 
quite  as  illustrious  grandson,  in  the  midst  of  stately  mountains,  clothed  in 
ancient  forests,  and  invested  in  storied  mysteries  of  the  ages,  we  soon 
reach  that  fla,shing  stream  Daiya  gawa,  plunging  headlong  down  the  pre- 
cipitous descent  in  a  frantic  race  to  gain  ihc.  lowlands,  where  it  is  spanned 
by  the  Mi  Ilasi,  or  sacred  liridge,  built  in  1G38  A.  D.,  at  a  spot  where  leg- 
end says  was  made  the  first  pilgrimage  to  the  mountains  of  the  .'iaiiit 
Shodo  Shonin.     A  lesser  temple  is  raised  by  the  wayside,  dedicated  to  the 


SACKED    I'liM     AT    MKho. 


380 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


goddess  of  rice,  Inari,  and  bearing  the  figure  of  the  fox,  which  is  the  per- 
sonification of  this  deity. 

Nikko  puts  on  her  best  livery  at  the  festival  of  lyeyasu,  and  the  shrines 
to  this  hero  are  then  seen  to  the  best  advantage.  But  the  tourist  has  not 
seen  it  all  untU  he  has  been  present  at  one  of  the  annual  pilgrimages  to 
the  mountain  shrines. 

The  day  is  perfect.  Nikko  has  more  perfect  days,  it  would  seem,  than 
any  other  spot  in  Japan.     The  grand  avenue  is  provided  with  refreshments 


KANAYA    HOTEL    AT    NIKKO. 


for  the  coming  multitude,  and  a  pine,  consecrated  to  propitiate  the  evil 
spirits,  is  dragged  furiously  up  the  terraced  path.  Eager,  excited  people 
rusli  after  it,  plucking  branch  after  branch  from  the  tree  as  charms  against 
evils,  until  it  is  bare  of  leaf  and  branch.  During  this  performance  a  con- 
tinual outcry  of  voices  from  a  hundred  throats  rings  up  and  down  the  val- 
ley erstwhile  so  heavy  with  the  silence.  Then  the  broad  gate  of  the  sacred 
Red  Bridge  is  flung  open,  and  the  anxious,  travel-worn  pilgrims  move 
solemnly  forward  on  their  march  to  the  holy  temples.  Sanctimonious 
priests  in  robes  of  gold  brocade  or  silk  chasubles  and  white  cassocks,  and 
mounted  on  ponies  selected  with  religious  veneration  for  this  pious  occa- 


JAPAN.  liSl 

sion,  are  followed  by  their  train  of  devoted  parishioners,  clothed  in  bright 
yellow  gowns,  and  holding  on  long  poles  over  their  heads  huge  fans. 
Behind  these  marches  a  long  train  of  warriors,  made  conspicuous  by  their 
ancient  trappings  and  arms  of  olden  styles.  Next  in  this  strange  proces- 
sion walk,  in  double  file,  men  and  boys,  with  masks  over  their  faces  and  all 
wearing  quaint  costumes  of  other  days  donned  for  this  especial  scene.  The 
last  squad  wave  banners  or  temple  flags  of  queer  device  over  their  heads, 
or  carry  live  birds  or  monkej's.  In  the  rear,  attired  in  skins  of  wild 
beasts,  and  to  make  the  imitation  more  startling,  men  creep  upon  their 
nands  and  knees,  following  two  and  two  abreast.  Besides  these  singular 
bodies  of  people,  at  intervals  along  the  marching  column  zealous  adherents 
of  the  faith  draw  sacred  cars  on  wooden  wheels,  with  temple-shaped  roofs 
and  bodies  of  dark  lacquer,  valances  of  rare  needlework,  and  rich  draperies 
of  red  and  yellow  silk.  The  entire  scene  is  enlivened,  if  not  rendered  more 
enjoyable,  by  all  sorts  of  instruments,  musical  and  otherwise,  sending  forth 
their  medley  of  sounds.  The  procession  is  at  least  a  mile  in  length,  while 
the  avenue  is  fairly  deluged  by  a  flood  of  spectators  who  have  come  from 
all  parts  of  the  country  —  some  hundreds  of  miles  —  to  witness  this  famous 
festival. 

One  day  is  deemed  sufficient  for  the  religious  celebration,  in  which  there 
is  an  amazing  mixture  of  the  profane  and  divine  influences.  At  eventide 
the  whole  affair  is  closed  with  an  extensive  illumination  of  the  temples 
and  surroundings  for  a  long  distance.  Lights  from  gay-coloured  paper 
lanterns,  swaying  from  every  building  and  gateway,  from  the  trees,  the 
pagoda,  the  tomb,  dazzle  the  beholders  of  the  night  scene.  Lanterns  of 
bronze  and  stone  lend  their  sparkling  blazes  from  courts  and  avenues, 
while  smaller  lanterns  of  paper,  carried  by  the  surging  nuiltitude,  look 
like  so  many  fireflies  dodging  liither  and  thither.  The  wind-bells,  swayed 
gently  by  the  mellow  evening  air,  send  forth  tlieir  trenndous  notes  with 
sweet  cadence,  while  the  deeper  tones  of  the  bronze  bell  float  away  in  tlio 
far,  misty  distance.  The  crowd  finally,  witli  backward  glances,  moves 
leisurely  down  the  avenue  wlience  it  had  ascended  in  the  earlier  hours, 
until  the  silence  and  loneliness  of  yesterday  fall  upon  the  scene. 

But  the  mixed  train  of  prayerful  priests  and  pious  pilgrims,  of  devout 
people  and  curious  sightseers,  moving  sublinudy  along  the  nol)le  avenue 
consecrated  to  the  gods  of  two  reliLnons.  has  nomo  and  gone  ami  ntiirni'd 


382  THE   FAR   EAST. 

again  with  autumnal  regularity  for  over  a  thousand  years,  and  who  would 
gaze  upon  its  like  again  has  only  to  come  to  Nikko  at  its  next  annual 
matsuri.  He  may  not  see  the  same  individuals  making  up  the  singular 
array  of  marching  columns,  neither  will  the  forests  have  on  the  same 
vestments  as  before ;  but  the  solemn  mien  of  the  pine,  and  brilliant  colour- 
ing of  the  maple  still  remain  unchanged,  while  the  same  picturesque 
pageantry  of  worshippers  will  pass  before  the  eye.  It  may  be  that  JajDan, 
in  its  new  light  of  progress,  has  little  use  for  these  relics  of  romantic 
paganism,  but  she  will  hold  upon  them  'Avith  ancestral  veneration  for  many 
years  to  come. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

NATIVES    OF   THE    GREEX    WOODS. 

NIKKO'S  attractions  do  not  end  with  the  temples  described,  by  any 
means.  There  are  other  shrines  as  full  of  historic  interest  if  not 
of  religious  importance,  and  one  never  tires  of  visiting  these  holy 
retreats  embodying  so  happily  the  combined  fascinations  of  art  and  nature 
and  religion,  romantic  valleys  and  sparkling  cascades,  hillsides  clothed  in 
their  variegated  coats  of  bright  and  dark  foliage,  with  vistas  of  plains  in 
the  distance. 

Near  the  hotel,  and  amid  surroundings  that  have  been  used  at  some  time 
as  the  burial-grounds  of  an  older  generation,  stands  the  temple  of  Jokoji. 
A  stone  image  of  Koyasu-Jizo,  the  god  of  children,  is  found  at  this  place. 
To  this,  come  the  motliers,  with  offerings  and  prayers  for  his  conciliation 
and  influence  to  cure  their  children  of  their  ills,  or  if  well,  to  guard  them 
from  misfortune.  This  idol  is  nearly  six  feet  in  height,  and  continually 
decked  with  red  and  white  linen,  that  anxious  mothers  have  placed  upon  it 
for  the  effect  it  is  believed  to  have  upon  their  loved  ones. 

As  we  explore  these  sacred  precincts  about  Nikko  we  are  continually 
meeting  with  some  god  or  goddess  consecrated  to  some  worldly  object,  and 
the  central  figure  of  some  temple  or  shrine.  No  sjxjt  is  so  isolated  or  in- 
accessible that  it  does  not  have  such  an  attraction.  A  hideous  idol  may 
stand  watch  in  a  snake  garden  ;  a  goddess  of  light  may  throw  her  imagi- 
nary influence  for  good  over  some  temple,  or  the  god  of  darkness  crouch 
behind  a  more  dreaded  shrine.  A  memento  of  Shintoism,  or  reminder  of 
the  rites  of  Buddha,  may  be  seen ;  every  sacred  object  having  its  devotees, 
and  the  roads  leading  to  them  lined  at  all  times  with  pious  pilgrims  wend- 
ing their  way  hither.  These  solemn  scenes  are  made  brighter  by  occasional 
vistas  of  one  of  the  landscape-gardens  which  seem  a  part  of  Japan. 

On  the  west  of  the  village,  nestling  amid  the  hills,  is  a  corner  cut  from 
paradise,  and  dropped  here  by  a  generous  Giver.  It  is  famous  for  contain- 
ing htnidreds  of  images  sacred  to  the  memory  of  that  powerful  deity  that 


384 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


once  dwelt  here,  Amida.  These  time-worn,  moss-grown  figures,  cut 
roughly  from  blocks  of  stone,  are  jilaced  in  a  long  row  beside  the  pathway 
leading  into  the  sacred  vale,  A  legend  the  devout  Buddhist  believes  to 
this  day  says  that  these  images  cannot  be  counted  twice  alike,  except 
under  the  divine  incantation  of  a  faithful  priest.  Its  rocky  bed  lying  be- 
tween two  massive  walls  of  mighty  rocks,  the  river  of  the  gods  sweeps 
wildly  and  triumphantly  through  the  narrow  valley. 

Among  the  other  places  sought  by  tourist  and  pilgrim,  are  Rainbow 


A    BUDDHIST    SHUINK. 


Falls,  where  all  the  hues  of  heaven  and  earth  blend  in  a  harmonious  colour- 
ing of  water  and  mist ;  and  Pillow  Cascade,  a  charming  little  stream  that 
takes  an  unexpected  leap  of  sixty  feet  over  the  brink  of  a  rocky  wall, 
carpeted  with  soft  moss  and  covered  with  ferns,  to  quickly  recover  its 
equilibrium  at  the  base  and  hie  away  singing  as  merrily  as  ever.  Wild 
azaleas  lend  their  beauty  to  the  scene,  pine  and  bamboo  their  dignity 
and  solemnity,  while  the  song  of  birds  from  the  maples  awakens  the 
solitude. 

With  a  climate  similar  to  that  of  New  England,  it  is  natural  we  should 
look  for  about  the  same  denizens  of  the  green  woods.     The  result  is  not  a 


JAPAN. 


38.-) 


disappointment.  Roaming  to-day  tiie  wilds  of  Japan  are  tlie  deer,  fox, 
badgei,  weasel,  and  smaller  animals  of  the  last  type.  In  tlie  north  is  to 
be  found  the  bear,  while  the  wild  l)oar  and  the  monkey  live  in  the  moun- 
tain ranges  of  the  central  and  southern  provinces. 

In  this  group  of  natives  of  the  woods  the  fox  is  ranked  at  the  head  by 
the  human  family, 
and  he  enjoys  a 
sort  of  charmed  life 
among  the  agricul- 
tural people,  as  the 
superstitious  farm- 
ers believe  he  is  the 
reincarnation  of 
that  sacred  deity  of 
the  pastoral  pur- 
suits, Inari.  The 
veneration  shown 
this  god  is  ex- 
pressed on  many  a 
hillside  by  a  ver- 
milion -coloured 
shrine,  where  the 
farming  class  are 
wont  to  congregate 
to  render  homage 
to  their  patron  di- 
vinity. In  this 
manner  the  fox  has 
not  only  come  to  be 

looked  upon  witli  respect,  if  not  fear,  but  he  figures  in  nearly  all  ui  the 
fairy  tales  of  Japanese  folk-lore.  He  is  often  associated  with  the  bad- 
ger, which  is  considered  an  luioanny  creature,  and  is  avoided  as  much  as 
possible  by  all  except  tho.se  who  hunt  him  for  the  jmrpo.se  of  killing  him. 

Deer  of  a  small  species  are  found  plentifully,  and,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
consecrated  grounds  of  the  a>gis  of  the  Hiiddhist  religion,  he  roams  at  will, 
unfearing  and  unharmed,  amid  the  temples  or  along  the  village  streets. 


VIKW    OK    MAT,- 


386  THE   FAR   EAST. 

But  away  from  the  special  protection  of  these  sacred  places,  in  the  fastness 
of  mountain  and  valley,  he  is  hunted  as  in  other  countries,  while  his  meat 
is  esteemed  as  a  delicacy. 

The  bear,  among  the  Ainos  of  the  north,  and  the  wild  boar  in  the  Pyre- 
nees of  the  south,  are  alike  hunted  and  considered  ugly  customers  when 
brought  to  bay,  as  many  a  battle-scarred  hunter  will  attest.  The  flesh  of 
either  is  not  looked  upon  with  favour.  In  fact,  the  meat  of  the  hog  has 
been  considered,  until  within  twenty  years,  with  more  than  Jewish  hatred, 
as  unclean.  Of  late,  however,  it  has  become  a  part  of  the  national  diet, 
along  with  beef. 

Of  the  domesticated  animals,  the  horse  ranks  easily  at  the  head,  though 
he  is  of  a  small  breed  and  has  never  been  put  to  severe  work.  There  are 
the  ox,  cow,  pig,  dog,  and  cat,  the  sheep  being  conspicuous  by  its  absence. 
The  last  do  not  thrive  anywhere  in  Japan,  the  rugged  kaya  grass  and  the 
stout  bamboo,  upon  which  they  will  persist  in  feeding,  proving  poison  to 
them.  The  native  horse,  if  small,  is  hardy  and  fleet  of  foot,  and  capable 
of  great  powers  of  endurance.  Horses  are  inclined,  however,  to  be  vicious, 
and  are  not  trained  to  work  except  as  racers  and  jumpers.  Oxen  and  cows 
are  employed  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  most  parts  of  the  islands,  but 
milk  is  not  generally  considered  as  an  article  of  food. 

Goats,  in  some  localities,  are  quite  common,  while  there  are  two  species 
of  dogs  which  do  not  belong  to  any  kind  that  we  have,  though  as  a  lap- 
dog  one  of  them  has  become  quite  common  here.  The  other  is  called  the 
inu,  and  more  nearly  resembles  the  wolf  than  any  animal  we  know.  It  is 
quite  easily  domesticated.  Cats  are  without  number,  —  and  also  without 
tails,  except  in  a  few  cases,  when  they  are  of  great  length.  Rats  are 
numerous,  and  looked  upon  with  something  of  favour.  The  rat  is  one  of 
the  Japanese  signs  of  the  zodiac. 

Japanese  art  has  led  us  to  expect  much  of  her  bird  life,  and  naturally 
we  look  first  for  the  stork,  so  familiar  to  us  all,  through  the  artist  and  the 
decorator,  as  the  king  of  the  feathered  tribe.  In  many  respects  we  are 
disappointed.  The  stork,  tsuru  (Grus  leiicau  chen),  attains  a  height  of 
nearly  six  feet  when  erect,  and  approaches  the  size  of  the  ostrich.  It  has 
a  white,  glistening  body,  with  ebony  wings  and  tail-feathers,  and  head 
conspicuously  marked  with  a  spot  of  crimson.  Appropriately  seeking  the 
black,  sinuous  pines  that  overhang  the  old  castle  walls,  and  shores  of  the 


JAPAN. 


387 


reedy  ponds  in  the  ancient  parks,  circling  around  the  gnarled  arms  of 
the  dark  evergreeen,  or  jjosing  in  graceful  and  stately  manner  amid  the 
grottoes  and  lakelets  of  these  olden  pleasure-grounds,  if  he  does  not  meet 
the  expectations  of  the  foreigner,  he  richly  deserves  the  admiration  the 
Eastern  artist  so  loves  to  picture. 

A  companion  to  the  stork,  in  size  if  not  in  public  favour,  is  ihogo-i-scKji, 
or  heron  of  "  noble  rank."     Then  there  is  the  snowv  heron  of  the  rice- 


TAMF.     DKF.H,    NAKA. 


fields,  more  numerous  than  desirable.  There  are  several  otiier  varieties  of 
this  kind  of  bird,  but  of  lesser  importance. 

Another  of  the  feathered  creatures  that  stands  high  in  popular  opinion 
is  the  mandarin  duck,  also  common  in  China.  These  ducks  have  a  mag- 
nificent plumage  of  a  rich  colouring,  and,  shyly  seeking  the  secluded  waters 
of  some  isolated  lakelet  or  stream,  are  worthy  of  the  unstinted  praise  be- 
stowed upon  them.  This  love  is  strengthened  by  the  belief  that  when  one 
of  a  pair  dies,  the  other  remains  without  a  mate  the  rest  of  its  life,  a 
striking  example  of  conjugal  fidelity. 

A  bird  of  most  beautiful  plumage  and  gurgeous  tints  is  that  native  of 


388 


THE    FAK    EAST. 


Japan,  the  copper  pheasant,  very  often  found  in  the  southern  and  central 
islands.  Teal,  mallards,  widgeon,  woodcock,  snipe,  and  quail,  are  all  to  be 
found  abundantly  in  the  marshes  and  unfrequented  bodies  of  water. 

A  Japanese  sjiring  would  not  be  spring  without  its  swallow,  which 
comes  and  goes  here  as  it  does  elsewhere  in  the  world,  never  failing  to 
make  its  flight  to  and  fro  as  unvaryingly  as  the  seasons.  But  here  it  builds 
its  mud  house  inside  the  roof  instead  of  under  the  eaves,  as  it  does  in  New 


A    PUBLIC    PLEASURE    RESORT,    KANAZAWA. 


England.  That  dusky  representative  of  every  zone,  the  raven,  is  seen  in 
this  clime,  the  same  bold,  saucy,  cunning  mischief-maker. 

Among  the  sweet  singers  of  the  Land  of  the  Sunrise  is  the  skylark, 
whose  notes  in  Japanese  are  just  as  melodious  as  in  English.  Here  are 
also  the  cuckoo,  which  for  some  reason  has  fallen  into  ill-repute,  linnets 
and  finches,  starlings,  sparrows  and  sparrow-hawks,  and  owls  with  no 
more  of  cheerfulness  in  a  Japanese  wood  than  in  a  New  England  swamp. 

The  denizens  of  the  farmyard  are  the  same  as  in  New  England,  and 


JAPAN.  389 

among  the  fowls  bred  for  eggs  and  table  are  the  Black  Spanish,  Plymouth 
Rocks,  Dorkings,  Cochin  Chinas,  the  common  duck  and  goose,  with  the 
turkey,  or  "  bird  of  seven  faces,"  as  they  call  the  last. 

From  early  times  fislung  has  been  a  common  pursuit,  and  Japan  is 
extremely  fortunate  in  the  nundier  and  variety  of  her  finny  tribe.  Every 
kind  of  fish  known  in  America,  and  many  that  are  strangers  with  us, 
appear  in  the  menus  of  Japan.  The  highest  bidder  for  public  favour  is 
that  bright  pink  roach  of  immense  size,  called  the  tai,  which  is  ever  to  be 
found  at  a  well-devised  banquet,  either  baked,  boiled,  or  roasted,  unless 
it  is  preferred  raw.  Fish  is  often  served  without  being  cooked.  It  is  the 
rule,  rather  tlian  the  exception,  to  take  fish  to  the  market  alive.  This  is 
done  by  carrying  them  in  shallow  buckets,  fitted  with  lids,  and  venders 
of  fish  go  from  house  to  house  with  their  stock  still  alive.  It  must  not  be 
supposed  that  this  practice  is  confined  to  tlie  thickly  settled  districts,  for  far 
back  in  the  mountains  these  fish-i:)eddlers  are  to  be  seen  going  about  from 
hamlet  to  handet.  As  has  already  been  said,  fish  is  generally  eaten,  while 
beef  and  pork  are  only  sparingly  partaken  of.  Naturally  those  fish  which 
are  tlie  most  rare  bring  the  highest  price  in  the  markets. 

Besides  these  creatures  of  mortal  life  that  people  the  green  woods  now, 
the  forests  were  formerly,  according  to  legend  and  traditiijn,  the  home  of 
many  strange  races  of  beings,  that  still  live  in  the  w(jnder  tales  of  Japan. 
Our  little  wiry-framed  guide,  wliose  tongue,  like  his  limbs,  never  seems  to 
tire,  is  pleased  to  tell  us  one  of  these. 

Many  years  ago,  while  these  woods  were  yet  young  and  the  mosses  of 
mountains  had  not  given  them  their  ])atriarchal  ajipearance,  elves  lived 
in  these  forests,  and  held  sway  over  otlii-r  forms  of  life.  They  had 
bodies  like  men,  but  having  been  hatched  from  the  eggs  of  the  hawk, 
had  heads  like  that  bird,  and  two  powerful  claws  on  their  hairy  hands 
and  feet.  In  early  life  they  had  wings  and  feathers  over  their  bodies,  but 
these  fell  away  as  they  grew  older,  until  they  donned  the  garli  of  men, 
and  stalked  ationt  witli  all  the  majesty  of  kings,  declaring  tli.it  tlicy  were 
lords  of  the  forest.  Tims  when  a  person  becomes  vain  .nnl  frivolous  it  is 
said  of  him,  "lie  has  become  a  TvaUju"  which  was  the  name  given  tliis 
elfish  race  of  tlie  nioinitains  by  the  sons  of  men. 

The  chief  of  the  strange  creatures  living  in  fiie  fastnesses  of  03'ama, 
half  man  and  half  elf.  was  the    Dai-TenLMi.   wlio  was  prouder*  and  more 


390 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


vainglorious  than  any  of  his  followers.  He  had  a  long  gray  beard  and 
moustaches,  and  he  seldom  spoke,  but  continually  waved  a  fan  of  seven 
gay  feathers,  and  looked  very  wise  whenever  he  was  addressed.  Over  his 
left  shoulder  he  carried  in  a  sling  a  formidable  axe,  and  this,  with  his 
fierce,  sombre  looks,  gave  him  the  reputation  of  being  extremely  cruel. 

These  Tengus  were  fond  of  passing  away  their  time,  which  must  some 
days  have  hung  heavily  on  their  hands,  in  wild,  fanciful  games,  such  as 
leapfrog  over  steep  precipices,  fencing  with  their  long,  pointed  noses,  or  by 


A     COBBLER. 


balancing  themselves  on  the  tops  of  high  trees  and  in  building  bridges  in 
mid-air  by  locking  their  noses  together,  to  make  their  children  walk  over 
the  narrow  way,  or  spring  from  one  span  to  another. 

Once  it  so  happened  that  the  son  of  a  great  warrior  at  the  court  in 
Kyoto,  named  Sakato,  fell  into  the  power  and  teachings  of  these  wild 
denizens  of  the  green  woods  of  Mount  Oyama.  His  father  liad  fought 
the  good  fight  for  his  chief,  and,  being  defeated,  was  obliged  to  flee  to 
the  fastness  of  the  forest  with  his  dearly  beloved  wife.  He  soon  died 
of  a  broken  heart,  but  she  lived  to  give  birth  to  a  son,  whom  she  named 
Kintaro,  the  Golden  Boy,  because  he  had  such  Ijright  hair.      Though  she 


mm^a^^^Mr 


JAPAN. 


391 


was  grieved  to  tiiink  of  the  loss  of  her  noble  husband,  and  her  pleasant 
home  that  she  had  been  obliged  to  desert,  the  mother  grew  to  be  happy 
in  the  company  of  her  sturdy  little  boy. 

The  wild  beasts  of  the  forest  were  her  enemies,  which  she  feared  much 
at  first ;  but  as  Kintaro  lay  on  his  bed  of  ferns  he  made  friends  of  the 
birds,  while  they  gathered  in  the  tree-tops  and  sang  him  to  sleep  day 
after  day.     Their  presence  telling  the  wild  animals  that  no  human  being 


'lEA-IIOlsK    Woman        in    jimukimi  a. 


could  be  around  tlie  i)Iace,  they  served  as  guardians  as  well  as  soothing 
him  to  rest.  So  his  mother  did  not  fear  to  leave  him  alone  with  the  birds 
for  hours  at  a  time,  while  she  picked  berries  or  obtained  vegetables  for 
food. 

In  this  way  Kintaro  grew  and  played  in  the  companionship  of  tlie 
birds.  By  and  by,  as  he  became  larger,  these,  having  comnuinication  with 
the  other  creatures  of  the  forest,  one  day  invited  a  bear  and  a  sUig  to 
see  him.  These  were  so  pleased  with  tlie  little  felluw  that  tliey  began 
to  come  regularly  to  see  him,  and  Kintaro  soon  learned  to  spring  un  the 


392  THE   FAR   EAST. 

back  of  the  stag,  that  would  carry  him  about  in  the  woods.  At  first  his 
mother  was  frightened  at  this,  but  as  some  of  the  birds  promised  to  watch 
over  him,  she  became  reconciled  to  his  trips,  which  grew  longer  and 
longer. 

On  one  of  these  journeys  through  the  wildwood,  up  and  down  mountain- 
sides, and  over  dizzy  heights,  the  stag  came  to  a  leafy  spot  in  the  forest, 
where  rippling  water  made  sweet  music  the  day  long,  and  succulent  grass 
tempted  the  strange  steed  to  stop  and  get  his  dinner.  Kintaro  soon  saw 
with  amazement  the  most  elfish  creatures  he  had  ever  known,  for  he  had 
been  brought  to  the  home  of  the  Tengus.  They  were  playing  at  rolling 
small  stones  across  a  bridge  made  by  putting  their  noses  together,  but 
instantly  stopped  at  sight  of  the  newcomer.  Quickly  encircling  the 
Golden  Boy,  they  began  to  sing  a  musical  song,  which  expressed  pleasure 
at  seeing  him. 

Fortunately  for  Kintaro,  he  had  been  taught  by  the  birds  never  to  be 
deceitful,  and  his  mother  had  always  made  him  acknowledge  great  love  for 
all  the  creatures  of  the  forest.  The  stag  told  this  to  the  Tengus,  and  they 
received  him  with  luiboinided  delight.  The  oldest  and  wisest  of  them, 
who  never  went  around  without  a  book  in  his  hand,  began  to  teach  the 
boy  all  that  he  knew  of  birds,  beasts,  nature,  and  humanity.  He  taught 
him  the  languages  of  all  the  denizens  of  the  woods,  until  Kintaro  could 
talk  with  them  all,  holding  conversation  with  everything  that  flew  in  the 
air,  walked  on  the  earth,  or  swam  in  the  water.  When  he  had  tired  of 
his  lessons,  the  stag  took  Kintaro  home,  and  his  mother  was  told  of  the 
many  wonderful  things  he  had  seen  and  learned.  From  that  day  he  was 
known  as  the  Prince  of  the  Forest. 

After  that  Kintaro  looked  more  anxiously  than  ever  for  the  coming  of 
the  stag,  and  winding  his  arms  around  the  noble  creature's  neck,  he  would 
be  borne  swiftly  away  to  the  court  of  the  elves  in  the  distant  green  woods. 
Here,  as  he  grew  wiser  from  the  teachings  of  the  Tengus,  the  young 
prince  delighted  to  hold  court  with  the  innumerable  inhabitants  of  the  for- 
est. At  the  call  of  the  Tengu  chief,  every  living  creature,  would  quickly 
appear :  the  fox,  the  badger,  wolf  and  bear,  the  deer  and  dog,  the  marten, 
squirrel,  and  many  others  too  numerous  to  name.  Nor  were  the  birds, 
whether  great  or  small,  missing.  The  hawk  and  the  eagle,  leaving  their 
lofty  perches,  the  crane  and  heron,  sweeping  from  over  the  plain,  the 


.lAl'AX. 


393 


stork  and  wild  duck,  from  the  ancient  grove  of  black  pinos;  in  fact,  all 
of  the  feathered  friends  alighted  on  the  cedar  branches  to  listen  to  the 
tales  of  the  youthful  prince  they  loved  so  well. 

But  the  sun  does  not  always  shine,  and  there  came  a  day  when  Kintaro 
found  none  to  attend  his  court  under  the  cedars.  "While  at  play  with 
some  of  the  Tengus  he  had  got  imi)atient  at  their  inattention  to  the  game, 
when  he  spoke  angrily  to  them.  They  were  the  lirst  angry  words  he  had 
ever    sptjken,  —  except    possiljly  to    his    mother,  and  a   mother   forgives 


easily,  —  and  the  little  Tengiis  flt;w  u]t  to  their  nests  in  the  lofty  pines. 
Angered  still  more  at  this,  Kintaro  shook  the  trees,  and  lie  proved  so 
strong  that  the  nests  of  the  Tengus  were  shaken  from  their  supports  and 
fell  \o  the  ground. 

This  so  incensed  the  mothers  of  the  injured  elves  that  they  banisiied 
the  prince  from  their  courtyard,  and  he  was  forced  to  start  home  on  foot, 
with  a  feeling  of  sadness  at  his  heart  he  had  never  known  before,  lie 
had  not  gone  far  before  he  was  reminded  of  his  fallen  estate  liy  the  attack 
of  a  bear,  wliicli  threatened  to  kill  him.     15nt  tiie  little  prince  of  the  forest 


394 


THE    FAR   EAST. 


was  plucky,  and  he  wrestled  with  the  big  bear  until  he  was  nearly  tired 
out.  He  was  thinking  what  nis  mother  would  do,  in  case  he  never 
returned  home,  when  a  good  and  brave  man  came  along.  He  quickly 
killed  the  bear,  and  took  Kintaro  in  his  arms,  all  bleeding  and  torn  as  he 
was.  Kintaro  soon  told  the  stranger  who  he  was,  and  how  his  father  had 
fought  in  a  lost  cause  and  been  exiled  to  the  woods,  to  die  there.  There- 
upon the  man  wept,  and  held  him  closer  than  before  in  his  arms,  saying 
that  he  had  been  a  soldier  with  his  father,  that  at  last  the  tide  of  battle 


I 


WASHING. 


had  turned  in  their  fa^^our,  and  that  Sakato  and  his  wife  were  free  to 
return  to  their  home. 

With  what  joy,  tinged  with  sadness  over  his  father's  fate,  Kintaro  led 
the  messenger  to  his  mother  may  be  imagined.  She  listened  to  the  story 
with  gladness  for  the  sake  of  her  son,  and  preparations  were  begun  for 
the  journey  home.  In  the  midst  of  this,  the  Tengus,  who  had  repented 
of  their  hasty  condemnation  of  the  boy  that  they  loved  so  well,  came  and 
begged  of  him  not  to  leave  them,  but  to  be  their  prince  always.  Their 
pleadings  did  not  avail,  and  finding  that  he  was  really  going  away, 
the  Tengus  summoned  all  the  creatures  of  the  forest  to  be  present  at  his 


JAPAN.  •  395 

departure.  So  many  tears  were  shed  on  that  occasion  that  a  stream  nm 
to  the  sea,  and  unlike  other  rivers  that  dry  their  founts  in  summer-time, 
this  never  becomes  dry.  And  the  story-teller  stops  here,  except  to  add 
that  Kintaro  became  a  great  warrior,  wlio  ever  remembered  and  kept 
the  precepts  taught  him  by  the  elves  of  Oyama  while  he  reigned  as 
Prince  of  the  Forest. 


(;H AFTER  X. 

LAKES    OF    THE    HIGHLANDS. 

FEW  siglitseers  visit  Nikko  without  making  an  excursion  fartlier 
up  the  mountains  to  those  lakes  of  the  highlands,  Cliuzenji  and 
Yumoto.  This  trip  is  made  best  in  one  of  those  basket-chairs  called 
Icago,  which  is  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  two  or  four  carriers,  according 
to  the  condition  of  the  route  and  size  of  the  occupant.  Even  this  is  not  a 
comfortable  way  of  riding,  on  account  of  the  cramped  position  the  occu- 
pant has  to  maintain,  but  where  the  roads  are  steep  and  rough  it  is  better 
than  the  jinrikisha.  If  the  tourist  is  strong  of  limb  and  not  afraid  of 
exercising  his  powers  of  locomotion,  he  will  be  inclined  to  walk,  but  this 
mode  of  travelling,  it  must  be  confessed,  is  not  in  good  favour  in  Japan. 
However,  we  are  free  to  confess  that,  used  to  mountain  climbing  and  feats 
of  pedestrianism,  we  let  tongues  say  what  they  might,  and  "  took  to  our 
heels."  This  is  nature's  way,  and  one  cannot  improve  upon  it  if  he 
wishes  to  reap  his  full  reward  for  his  time  spent  in  the  rural  districts  of 
any  country.  We  may  add,  however,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that 
the  visitors  to  this  region,  no  matter  how  they  make  the  trip,  are  never 
disappointed  by  the  grandeur  and  magnificence  of  the  scenery  unfolded 
to  the  gaze. 

Some  of  the  party  go  on  horseback  as  far  as  the  hamlet  of  Uma-gae-shi, 
which  means  "  horse-send -back,"  as  this  is  as  far  as  these  sure-footed 
equines  can  go.  From  this  point,  those  of  the  men  who  can,  climb  the 
precipitous  pathway  on  foot,  while  the  others  and  the  women  are  carried 
in  the  yama-kacjo,  or  mountain-chair.  The  ascent  is  slow,  imtil,  at  last, 
effort  is  rewarded  by  the  grand  sight  of  the  lake  of  the  mountains  in  its 
peerless  setting  of  rock  and  forest. 

We  are  now  4,-375  feet  above  sea  level,  and  surrounded  by  cloud-capped 
mountains,  clothed  in  light  .shades  of  the  hard  woods  at  their  base  and 
the  darker  tints  of  the  pine  above.  Lake  Chuzenji  is  a  popular  summer 
resort,  and  its  shores  are  dotted  with  the  tea-houses  occupied  during  the 


.I.M'AX. 


noi 


warm  period  of  the  ^-ear  and  deserted  through  tlio  winter.  A  gi'ove  of 
pines,  festooned  with  trailing  mosses,  stands  out  Ijoldly  on  one  of  tlie 
distant  points  of  land,  while  from  this  rises  the  sheer,  majestic  form  of 
Xantai-zan,  the  sacred  mountain.  This  is  over  eight  thou.sand  feet  in 
height,  and  on  its  .summit  the  wind  god  is  supposed  to  have  his  dwelling. 
This  brings  hither  each  season  a  great  niunber  of  pilgrims  with  mo  other 
errand  than  to  propitiate  Avith  appropriate  tributes  this  fickle  deit}',  that 


l[K:STIN'(i     KAlin. 


lie  may  remain  in  good  liuminir  until  the  autunni  harvests  have  been 
safely  stored.  On  the  siih^s,  broken  ranges  of  hills,  covered  with  den.se 
growths  of  forest,  fringe  the  crNstal  waters  with  a  border  of  dark  hue. 

Crossing  the  lake  in  a  boat,  catching  many  a  glimpse  of  the  linny  in- 
habitants of  the  waters  as  we  pass  along,  we  are  soon  wending  our  way 
under  an  archway  oi  gra})e-vines,  .*iyringa,  azaleas,  and  r.iniv  bambno 
grass,  overtoppeil  with  ehns,  chestnuts,  and  maples*  until  wr  liually  lialt^ 
at  Ryuzu-ga  taUi,  or  Dragon's  Head  Ca.scade,  where  dancing  waters  make 


398  THE    FAR    EAST. 

merry  the  livelong  day  in  the  midst  of  their  lonely  surroundings.  Leav- 
ing this  spot  with  an  affectionate  backward  glance,  we  plunge  into  the 
deeper  woods.  The  flowers  and  the  vines  grow  scarcer  and  more  puny, 
we  outstrip  the  maple  with  regret,  while  the  forest  grows  denser  and 
darker.  Up,  up,  up,  we  continue  to  climb,  higher  and  higher,  until  even 
the  hardy  oak  no  longer  greets  us,  and  we  advance  under  gnarled  and 
haggard  pines,  that  make  noonday  dark  with  their  shadows. 

We  are  wondering  if  we  had  not  better  turn  back,  when,  without  any 
warning,  we  suddenly  find  ourselves  looking  down  upon  a  scene  which,  for 
the  deep  silence  and  solemnity  that  hangs  over  it,  fairly  takes  away  our 
breath.  There  are  still  lofty  peaks  hanging  over  us  with  their  grim,  awe- 
inspiring  fronts,  but  it  is  not  that  which  makes  the  situation  so  im- 
pressive and  sublime.  We  experience  that  sensation  which  accompanies 
every  spot  which  seems  to  lack  room.  The  bright  body  of  water  at  our 
feet,  made  dark  by  its  surroundings,  seems  compressed  into  half  the  space 
it  needs ;  but  we  soon  get  used  to  this,  and  look  to  our  guide  for  explana- 
tion. 

He  tells  us  this  is  the  upper  of  the  highland  lakes,  famous  Yumoto,  of 
which  we  have  been  hearing  ever  since  we  landed  at  Yokohama.  It  has 
become  thus  noted  as  a  resort  for  victims  of  rheumatism,  who  fancy  they 
can  find  here  a  balm  for  their  suiierings  in  the  numerous  sulphur  springs 
in  this  vicinity.  A  hamlet  of  inns  and  tea-houses  finds  scanty  standing- 
room  on  the  rim  of  the  lake.  At  this  place  are  foiind  the  two  extremes  of 
temperature,  —  the  excessive  heat  of  summer  and  the  extreme  cold  of  win- 
ter. Very  beautiful  Yumoto  looks  under  the  benign  influences  of  sum- 
mer, and  here  gay  life  makes  one  forget  his  aches  and  pains  if  its  warm 
fountains  do  not.  In  the  pulilic  places  of  Japan  the  promiscuous  bathing 
of  the  sexes  is  generally  forbidden,  but  here  the  force  of  the  law  is  lost, 
and  the  old-time  custom  prevails.  But  Yumoto's  reign  each  year  is  brief. 
A  short  season  of  health-seeking  and  pleasure-finding,  and  at  the  warning 
of  the  frost  a  coarse  matting  is  thrown  over  the  dwellings,  the  people  hie 
away  to  their  respective  homes,  while  Yumoto  is  left  to  languish  during 
the  long  winter  in  its  crystal  i^rison,  covered  with  ten  feet  of  snow. 

The  return  to  Nikko  is  made  over  the  site  of  one  of  the  famous  battle- 
grounds of  ancient  dliys,  and  we  reach  the  city  of  temples  glad  we  made 
this  trip  to  the  mountains,  —  thrice  glad  it  is  done.     We  came  to  Nikko 


JAPAN. 


399 


from  Utsu-no-miya  behind  a  wheezy  iron  horse  at  the  rate  of  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  miles  an  hour.  But  in  doing  that  we  missed  hirgely  the  beauties 
of  the  sacred  avenue,  so  we  decide  to  hire  a  jinrikisha  to  get  back,  and  the 
result  is  most  satisfactory.  Performing  this  stage  of  our  journey,  we  go 
by  rail  to  OAama,  and  thence  take  a  westerly  course  through  the  great 
■wilderness  of  mountains  and  valleys  which  makes  this  region  "  the  Switz- 
erland of  Japan."     Here  we  find  the  people  living  nearer  to  nature  and 


nature's  god.  where  there  is  less  of  foreign  and  more  of  the  aburiginal 
inlluence.  The  plains  along  this  road,  as  far  as  the  foothills  of  A.sauiais, 
are  producers  of  two  great  staples,  rice  and  mulberry.  Ijjirge  factories, 
where  silk  is  Mi)un  from  cocoons,  are  to  be  seen.  The  food  for  the  silk- 
worms is  obtained  by  planting  a  stem  from  the  parent  nuilberry-tree.  and 
when  this  has  grown  to  full  leafage,  the  leaves  are  plucked  or  else  the 
whole  branch  is  placed  in  a  basket  where  the  wonna  can  feed  tipon  them. 
Rice  is  cut  by  the  sickle,  as  grain  was  harvested  in  this  country  l)efore 


400 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


the  invention  of  the  reaping-machine.  A  labourer  follows  the  reaper  to 
gather  the  straw.  The  grain  is  separated  from  its  stalk  l:)y  means  of  a 
steel  blade  with  a  row  of  teeth  along  the  upper  edge.  A  bunch  of  straw  is 
held  in  one  hand,  while  the  other  pulls  the  heads  over  this  saw-like  instru- 
ment, and  the  rice  falls  on  a  cloth  spread  to  catch  it.  The  hulling  process 
is  even  slower  and  more  primitive.     The  rice,  after  being  put  in  its  basin 


■ 

''^^^^^^^^^KjE  A:            '  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^S*^ 

^^^gr^Sj*jg££j^^-                      '      1     li^    'll      1    'Mi  — >MWwllllll  1 

I 

^^^m^ 

of  stone,  is  beaten  from  its  covering  liy  the  weight  of  a  lever  falling  into 
the  receptacle. 

The  houses  along  this  route  are  made  of  wood,  except  an  occasional 
stone  dwelling,  and  the  roofs  are  shingled,  tiled,  or  thatched.  Outside  the 
large  cities  the  means  for  keeping  warm  during  the  cold  periods  are  primi- 
tive in  the  extreme.  The  princii)al  resort  is  for  the  sufferer  to  put  on 
more  clothes.  The  only  artificial  way  of  affording  heat  is  the  /lihashi. 
the  charcoal  brazier,  a  wooden  liox  filled  with  ashes,  on  the  top  of  which  is 
placed  a  layer  of  red-hot  charcoal.  Around  this,  muffled  in  their  extra 
clothing,  the  family  huddle  and  shiver,  for  the  Japanese  are  very  suscepti- 
ble to  the  low  temperature.  Houses  are  lighted  in  the  mountain  districts 
by  a  wick  floating  in  a  cn]:i  of  cocoanut-oil,  ))laced  in  a  paper  lantern,  or 


JAPAN.  401 

by  a  candle  of  vegetable  wax,  stuck  in  a  candlestick  of  grotesque  pat- 
tern. 

In  the  amphitheatre  of  the  northern  mountains  the  toufist  suddenly  and 
unexpectedly  comes  upon  a  tea-growing  province,  where  he  had  least 
expected  to  tind  it.  But  the  plant  raised  here  is  not  considered  of  a  very 
good  quality,  and  it  is  cured  in  the  simplest  manner  possible  by  being  dried 
in  the  sun.  It  is  not  offered  for  the  foreign  -narket,  but  finds  a  ready 
demand  from  home  consumers.  It  goes  without  saying  that  Japan  is 
greatly  interested  in  tea-growing,  and  great  attention  is  given  that  crop, 
botii  in  raising  and  curing,  thougli  only  a  small  percentage  is  sent  abroad. 
The  soil  best  adapted  to  the  crop  is  that  composed  of  disintegrated  granite, 
which  quickly  partakes  of  moisture  and  is  easily  drained.  Green  tea  with- 
out milk  or  sweetening  is  the  universal  beverage,  and  the  stranger  accepts 
this  the  more  willingly  as  the  water  of  Japan,  before  it  is  boiled,  is  less  tit 
to  drink  than  that  of  almost  any  other  country. 

Tliis  route  of  travel  crosses  the  backbone  of  Japan,  where  two  engines 
are  required  to  draw  the  coaches  up  an  incline  of  one  foot  to  each  fifteen 
feet  of  progress  from  Yokogawa  to  Karuisawa  through  Usui  Pass.  In  a 
short  distance  twenty-five  tunnels  are  threaded,  having  an  entire  length  of 
about  three  miles.     These  tuimels  are  built  of  stone  or  brick. 

At  the  summit,  four  thousjind  feet  above  the  sea,  is  to  be  found  a  typical 
Japanese  inn,  where  the  traveller  stopping  for  a  brief  rest  is  invariably 
offered  a  small  tray,  called  bon,  containing  a  teapot,  teacups,  a  caddy  of 
hot  water,  and  a  small  charcoal  fire  with  which  to  light  the  pipe  or 
cigarette.  A  charge  of  ten  sen  is  made.  A  tea-house  contains  one  large 
room,  which  can  be  divided  into  ."everal  smaller  ones  by  simply  drawing 
.•iliding  screens.  The.se  apartments  are  wholly  unfurnished  during  the  day. 
At  nightfall  the  bed  is  made  In'  first  sprinkling  a  generous  amount  of  flea 
powder  over  tlie  straw  mat  laid  on  the  smooth  floor.  A  mattress  about  four 
inches  tliick  is  then  laid  down.  Dvi-r  this  spotless  sheets  are  spread,  and 
over  them  down  quilts,  the  inunber  gauged  by  the  temperature  of  the 
weatlier.  A  mosquito  netting  is  tlicn  Imng  over  the  couch,  and  a  paper 
hiiiti-ni,  with  a  dim  light  burning  frmii  ;i  wick  floating  in  oil,  placed  near 
the  head.  To  this  is  added,  for  the  women,  a  wooden  head-rest,  .*!o  they 
will  not  disarrange  their  hair.  This  is  a  typicjil  Jai>anese  bed.  without  a 
single   article  of   furniture   in   the  apartment,  and   separated    from   that 


402 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


adjoining  bj  a  screen  wall,  which  is  moved  back  against  the  outer  wall  of 
the  building  when  the  sleeper  arises  in  the  morning. 

A  large  tub  is  convenient,  where  all  of  both  sexes  bathe  promiscuously 
without  any  feeling  of  shame.  The  Japanese  live  more  by  washing  than 
eating ;  they  are  a  cleanly  people,  but,  as  a  race,  subject  to  skin  diseases. 
This  may  be  due  to  exposure,  and  again  disease  may  be  spread  by  con- 
tagion, from  their  habit  of  public  washing.  A  Japanese,  upon  reaching  an 
inn  where  he  intends  to  stop  any  length  of  time,  doffs  his  heavy  clothing, 
and  puts  on  a  light  kuiiono  girthed  about  with  a  silken  sash.  This  habit 
not  only  makes  him  comfortable,  but  puts  him  into  good  harmony  with  his 
Burroundings. 


1 


* 


FfJIVAMA. 


CHAPTER   XI. 


IX  Tin;  wiLus. 


MANY  stop  over  night  ut  tliis  lofty  station  to  witness  the  glory  of 
tin-  .sunrise.  The  reward  is  ample  for  lo.ss  of  time  or  any  incon- 
venience the  delay  may  have  caused,  for  nowhere  in  the  Land  of 
Sunrise  is  the  day  ushered  in  with  greater  beauty  or  magnificence.  The 
surroundings  are  such  as  one  might  pitture  for  the  stepping-stones  of  the 
awakening  god.  as  he  climhs  from  his  couch  in  the  deep  to  the  rosy  lieights 
of  morning.  In  the  midst  of  the.se  colossal  benches  re.sts  that  mighty  moun- 
tain boat,  Jini-finic-sa/i,^  i\!i  if  driven  in  from  the  distant  sea,  and  stranded 
on  the  splintered  jjeaks  scattered  around  the  lofty  monarch,  A.sama-yama. 
This  grim  sentinel  towers  nearly  nine  thousand  feet  above  the  ocean,  the 
blue  and  purple  tints  that  touch  the  u])per  jKirt  relieved  lower  down  by 
the  delicate  shades  of  green  running  from  the  pine  to  the  maple.  Not 
least  among  the  group  of  royal  giants  stands  grand  old  Ikao,  while  still 
nearer  to  us,  with  its  castles  of  cliffs  and  jiointed  spire,  ri.se  in  bold  relief 

•XiiiiiiMl  "Hock-boat  Mountain"  from    tlio  Kliapf  nf   lU   pt-iik  :   Iwa,    rock;   fune,   bout;    sun. 
uiounUiin. 

403 


404 


THE    FAR   EAST. 


the  castellated  ramparts  and  huge  arches  of  Miyogi-san,  or  Rocky  Moun- 
tain. In  the  two  lights  of  the  dawning  day  the  silver  tower  of  peerless 
Fujiyama  is  pillared  in  the  southern  sky.  On  the  west  rolls  the  Sea  of 
Japan,  while  in  the  glorified  east  the  broad  Pacific  lies  with  unruffled 
bosom. 

The  clouds  that  all  night  have  hung  ovir  the  mountains  roll  slowly 
away,  as  the  starlight  takes  on  the  peculiar  transparency'  of  early  morn- 
ing. Then  the  mists  settle  swiftly  down  over  peak  and  pine-fronded  hill, 
until  their  soft  profiles  are  but  dimly  seen.  Afar  in  the  east  a  faint 
streak  of  crimson  tinges  the  horizon.  The  transition  that  follows  is  as 
rapid  as  it  is  delicate  and  glorious.  But  the  pen  cannot  reveal  the  sweet 
incense  of  the  highland  breeze  and  the  fragrance  of  the  flowers,  for  that 
requires  a  sense  over  which  the  mind  is  no  mediator ;  the  brush  cannot 
picture  the  glory  of  the  summer  dawn,  flecking  here  and  there  with  gold 
and  pink  the  green  carpet  Nature  has  spread  on  the  landscape,  because 
the  eye  has  no  language  to  impart  its  treasures ;  the  imagination  cannot 
bestow  the  softness  of  the  songs  that  stir  the  heavenly  air,  as  fancy  has 
no  gift  to  feel  as  others  feel,  and  hear  as  o'^hers  hear. 

But  look !  the  peerless  mountain  suddenly  stands  before  us  more  re- 
splendent in  her  dazzling  morning  robes  than  at  midday.  Fleecy  clouds 
fall  away  from  her  matchless  form,  as  if  the  goddess  had  begun  to  dis- 
robe ;  the  gauze-like  veil  that  has  concealed  her  marble  white  coimte- 
nance  drops  from  the  snowy  forehead,  that  she  may  catch  the  first  flash 
of  the  golden  eye  of  the  east.  With  jealous  haste  the  hills  of  the  north 
then  tear  aside  with  their  long  pine  arms  the  mist  curtains  enveloping 
them,  when  their  daring  profiles  stand  boldly  out  against  a  sapphire  back- 
ground. These  detached  draperies  of  more  than  silken  delicacy  hang 
for  awdiile  tremulous  in  the  airy  space,  rising  and  falling  with  gentle  imdu- 
lations  on  the  soft  breath  of  morning ;  now  they  break  apart,  and  now 
they  cling  together ;  now  they  are  torn  into  a  thousand  shreds,  to  swim 
away  on  the  current  of  air,  growing  dimmer  and  dimmer  as  they  float 
into  the  distance,  or  sink  slowly,  lightly,  into  the  dark  valleys,  unnum- 
bered veils  of  finest  gauze  wafted  whither  the  wind  listeth.  A  fresh 
flaw  of  wind  comes  rushing  up  one  of  the  rents  In  the  mountains,  the 
last  delicate  filaments  are  torn  ruthlessly  aside,  and  the  smile  of  the  risen 
sun  illuminates  the  earth. 


.lAl'AN. 


405 


Leaving  this  station  in  the  mountain  pass,  the  raih'oad  winds  down  the 
western  descent  thronjrh  what  is  considered  the  very  heart  of  picturesque 
Japan.  Deep  gullies  now  yawn  constantly  on  the  one  hand,  while  on 
the  other  cloud-capped  peaks  look  grimly  <lown,  none  grander  than  old 
Asama-yania.  who  appears  at  the  zenith  of  his  glory  from  this  point  of 
view.  Below,  in  the  distance,  lie  the  rice-fields  of  Iwamurata,  looking  in 
the  month  of  harvest  like  golden  foils  laid  on  the  wide-spreading  plain. 


1  .in  A    mil  Ki.    \  1    M  1  .  \ 


Nowhere  in  the  land  of  .soft  contrasts  does  the  deep  green  of  the  jiine-clad 
mountains  oppo.se  more  vividly  the  gray  of  the  lime  l>elt.  tin-  hrown  of 
the  lava  tops,  and  the   .shadows  of  the  furrowed  valleys. 

There  is  no  hamlet,  however  small,  in  .Ja))an  that  does  not  have  at  least 
one  shrine  and  a  temple.  It  is  e(jualiy  true  that  i-vcry  Japanese  home 
contains  the  gods  of  Shinto  and  IJuddha,  the  first  to  protect  the  family  in 
their  bodily  wants,  and  the  other  as  a  guardian  over  their  spirits  when 
death  shall  come.  The  .shrine  of  the  first  is  easily  distinguished  from  the 
temi)le  of  the  other  by  its  torii,  always  placed  before  it. 


406 


THE   FAK   EAST. 


At  Zenkoji  is  the  celebrated  temple  of  Ainicla,  dedicated  to  the  sacred 
three,  Amida,  Kwannon,  and  Daiseislii,  whose  images  are  all  enshrined 
here.  This  group  is  claimed  to  have  been  made  by  the  renowned  saint, 
Shaka  Muni,  from  gold  that  he  obtained  from  Mount  Sliuni,  the  centre 
of  the  universe.  It  is  entwined  with  a  tale  of  wonderful  adventures  in 
China  and  Corea  before  it  was  brought  to  Japan  in  552  a.  d.,  as  a 
pledge  of  friendship  fi'om  the  king  of  the  last  country  to  the  Emperor 
of  Japan  upon  the  entrance  of  the  religion  of  Buddha  into  this  country. 
It  was  received  with  a  storm  of  indignation  from  the  followers  of  Shinto, 
and  was  subjected  to  all  kinds  of  treatment.  But  legend  says  it  was  in 
vain  that  its  enemies  threw  it  into  the  sea,  attempted  to  hew  it  into  pieces, 
or  tried  to  burn  it.  It  came  out  of  every  attack  unharmed,  until  in  602 
A.  D.  it  found  a  peaceful  resting-place  at  Zenkoji. 

The  present  temple  was  erected  about  two  hundred  years  ago,  and  is 
a  two-storied  structure,  198  feet  in  length  and  108  in  width,  with  a  heavy 
gable  roof  supported  by  136  stone  pillars.  This  roof  is  claimed  to  have 
69,384  rafters,  a  number  exactly  equal  to  the  written  characters  of  the 
Chinese  version  of  the  scripture  of  Buddha.  One  thousand  and  six  hun- 
dred square  feet,  covered  by  eighty-eight  mats,  comprises  the  kneeling- 
room  for  the  worshippers  praying  to  the  different  gods  arranged  about  at 
every  available  spot  and  niche.  This  ancient  temple  is  rendered  more 
unique  and  picturesque  by  the  practice  of  painting  upon  the  shingles  the 
name  of  each  person  aiding  in  the  support  of  the  temple.  These  shingles 
are  fifteen  inches  long  and  four  wide. 

Night-watchmen  are  common  throughout  Japan,  and  in  the  small  towns 
and  villages  they  carry,  as  in  olden  times,  two  sticks  made  of  hard  wood 
called  hioshigi,  or  "tune-blocks."  All  through  the  night,  at  regular 
intervals,  the  sharp  click  of  these  instruments  striking  together  is  heard. 
The  hov;rs  are  designated  by  the  number  of  strokes  of  the  sticks,  five 
o'clock  being  given  by  five  strokes,  and  the  half  hour  by  one  click. 

The  roads  of  Japan  are  kept  in  excellent  condition,  which  is  more  easily 
done  from  their  hard,  smooth  bed  or  bottom.  At  the  wayside  farms,  that 
noisy  but  cheerful  occupation  of  threshing  grain  is  going  on  as  w^e  pass 
along  in  our  jinrikisha,  the  work  being  done  by  both  men  and  women. 
The  well-dried  straw  has  been  laid  on  mats  outside  the  barn,  and  the  ker- 
nels are  pounded  out  by  clumsy-looking  flails,  which  are  handled  witli  a 


JAPAN. 


407 


dexterity  quite  surprising.     Another  way  of  getting  out  the  grain  is  to 
place  the  stalks  on  frames  of  bamboo  and  beat  them  with  clubs. 

In  tlie  pro%'ince  of  Echiuo,.  on  the  northwest  district  of  Hondo,  the 
settlements  are  mostly  small  villages,  and  but  few  houses  have  thatched 
roofs.  The  majority  are  covered  with  shingles,  which  are  held  in  place 
by  cobblestones,  as  the  winds  of  the  winter  season  are  very  violent  in 
this  section.  The  women  of  this  province  are  larger  and  more  nuiscular 
than  in  some  of  the  southern  districts,  which  may  be  due  largely  to  the 


TORIl,    SIMXTii    TKMl'I.K    tiltOl'NDS 


fact  that  they  work  as  hard  and  as  much  out-of-doors  as  tlie  men.  It  is 
no  uncommon  sight,  but  rather  the  rule,  to  see  young  and  pretty  girls 
working  side  by  side  with  weather-beaten  men,  and  the  pathetic  prospect 
of  no  better  state  in  the  immediate  future  lies  before  them  and  their 
children.  They  soon  age  and  grow  stout  of  figure,  their  good  looks  leav- 
ing them  in  a  few  years.  Women  .smoke  as  nuich  as  the  men.  and  in- 
varialily  carry  pouches  for  pipe  and  tobacco  by  their  sides.  This  part  of 
the  i.sland  does  not  offer  the  inviting  pro.spects  of  other  portions,  \inless 
it  be  in  the  number  of  eliildren.  which  .seem  to  be  the  fruitful  crop  of 
this   rather  cheerless  country.     The   parents  are  poorly  clad,  while    the 


408 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


younger  members  of  the  family  are  content  with  little,  if  an}-,  clothing. 
The  price  of  lal^our,  whenever  it  commands  a  reward,  is  a  mere  pittance, 
women  using  the  pick  and  shovel  from  sunrise  to  sunset  for  the  paltry- 
sum  of  ten  cents.  An  example  of  this  kind  is  where  they  are  working  for 
some  railroad  or  improvement  company,  which  seems  to  be  about  the 
only  avenue  open 
to  them  to  earn 
money. 

The  island  of 
Sado  lies  off  this 
coast  about  twenty 
miles  from  the 
mainland.  Sado 
is  forty  miles  in 
length  and  about 
eight  miles  in 
width,  and  has  a 
population  of 
135,000.  It  has 
mines  of  lead,  cop- 
per, silver,  and 
gold,  the  last  hav- 
ing been  discov- 
ered in  consider- 
able quantities  in 
the  seventeenth 
century. 

The  river  Shi- 
nano-gawa,  which 
turns    over    its 

floods  to  the  Sea  of  Japan  at  Niigata,  drains  this  province  from  the  south, 
and  the  river  Aka-gawa,  from  the  mountains  on  the  north.  The  first  is  a 
wide,  shallow  stream,  often  sluggish  in  its  current.  The  other  is  more 
rapid,  and  has  several  pretty  falls. 

This  district  is  noted  for  the  amount  of  cotton  and   tobacco  it  raises. 
It  is  a  common  sight  to  see  young   girls    spinning,  and  only  these   are 


1 1)1  .N  1  i;v   i,ii;l?. 


JAPAN. 


409 


employed  at  this  industry.  One  of  the  must  frei^uent  sights  to  be  seen 
along  tlie  roads  is  a  single  ox  or  bull  drawing  a  load  of  tobacco  to  the 
city,  the  yoke  being  simply  a  wooden  stick  held  on  top  of  the  neck  by  a 
thong  running  underneath. 

Owing  to  a  chronic  weakness  of  the  eyes,  the  natives  wear  huge,  mush- 
room-shaped hats  to  shield  them  from  the  sun,  and  when  the  heat  is  most 
severe,  wear  big  smoked  glasses  for  further  protection.  These  spectacles 
are  made  round  instead  of  oval,  and  are  two  inches  or  more  in  diameter, 


M'llUIlL,     <>l.l>     M^I.K. 


giving  the  long,  thin  countenance  of  the  wearer  a  peculiar  ai)pearance. 
They  still  fiu'ther  add  to  the  picture.squene.ss  of  their  looks  by  straw  mats 
suspended  from  their  shoulders. 

Niigata,  with  a  population  of  34.n(M).  was  made  an  open  iiort  in  ISf'iO. 
This  town  is  not  particularly  interesting  to  the  toiu'ist,  and  has  fewer 
relics  than  the  average  citv. 

Between  Niigata  on  tlu;  west  sliore  and  Fiiku-shima  on  the  eastern 
boundary  of  the  adjoining  province  of  Iwashiro,  stretches  north  and  south 
the  backbone  of  Hondo,  affording  a  i)ictures(pie  scenery.     Here  are  vast 


410 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


forests  of  cedars  and  cryptoraerias,  the  former  being  used  to  a  great  extent 
for  building  purposes,  nearly  all  of  the  floors  of  the  houses  being  laid  in 
this  wood.  Planed  and  finished  without  paint  or  varnish,  it  acquires  a 
beautiful  polish  after  long  use.  The  most  attractive  mountains  are  the 
0-Bandai  and  Ko-Bandai,  the  latter  rising  to  a  height  of  over  six  thousand 
feet.  As  late  as  1888  it  showed  the  volcanic  influences  at  work  within  by 
breaking  forth  with  great  vigour,  destroying  nearly  five  hundred  people. 

One  of  the  pleasant  features  of  this  country  is  its  schoolhouses,  square, 
substantial  stone  buildings,  where  often  as  many  as  seventy-five  youths  of 
both  sexes  are  taught  the  principles  of  knowledge,  songs  and  marching 
enlivening  the  course  of  studies.  Modern  methods  are  being  adopted  to  a 
greater  extent  than  might  be  expected.  A  railroad  penetrating  this  coun- 
try, and  running  for  miles  at  a  stretch  along  the  ancient  highway,  is 
nearing  completion. 


IttAIHNti    A    I.KTTKK. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

THE    EDE\    OF    THE    XOKTII. 

SHAPING  our  course  now  toward  the  eastern  coast,  and  leaving 
beliiud  us  tlie  railroad  and  all  liupe  of  a  railroad,  we  plunge  boldly 
into  a  country  where  the  mountains  present  their  grandest  peaks,  the 
valleys  don  their  richest  verdure,  and  the  sky  takes  ou  that  rare  wealth  of 
colouring  peculiar  to  this  region.  As  we  proceed,  signs  of  life  become  less 
apparent,  until  only  the  coal  huts  and  smoky  fires  of  the  charcoal  burners 
of  Japan  are  scattered  over  the  broken  landscape,  wherever  there  is  sutii- 
cient  growth  to  admit  of  their  vocation. 

For  a  time  the  way  grows  more  and  more  precipitous,  the  mountains 
become  more  bulky ;  and  then  the  latter  gradually  slope  off  in  front  into 
hillsides,  the  growth  becomes  dwarfed,  stunted  pines  and  bamboos  takiug 
the  place  of  the  lofty  monarchs  of  the  forests.  Over  the  tops  of  these 
scrubs  we  catch  the  gleam  of  water,  and  soon  realise  that  the  sea  is  on 
either  side  and  ahead  of  us.  The  last  is  the  Strait  of  Tsugaru ;  that 
on  the  right  hand  the  Pacific  Ocean ;  on  the  left,  the  Sea  of  Japan.  We 
have  reached  the  northern  shore  of  the  main  i.sland  of  tlie  Empire  of  the 
Far  East,  Hondo.  Ahead  of  us  lies  the  second  island  in  size,  Hokkaido, 
which  has  an  area  of  about  thirty  thousand  square  miles  and  a  population 
of  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 

A  somewhat  boisterous  passage  across  the  strait  takes  us  to  Hakodate, 
which  was  the  .second  Japanese  i»ort  opened  to  American  commerce,  and 
the  most  imirartant  city  in  Hokkaido,  —  the  North  Road,  or  district, — 
which  comprises  not  only  thi.s  island,  which  initil  recentl}-  has  been  known 
as  Yezo,  but  the  crooked  line  of  isles  to  the  north  of  this,  tlu!  Kuriles, 
Hakodate  has  a  fine  harbour,  protected  on  the  .sfnith  by  a  rf)ik\  harrier 
over  eleven  hundred  feet  in  height.  The  town  lies  at  the  foot  of  this,  and 
has  become  quite  a  resort  for  invalids  on  account  of  its  delightful  climate. 

There  is  a  museum  at  this  place,  among  its  other  attractions,  where  is 
tn  lie  found  an  extensive  collection  (»f  sen  shells,  birds  of  many  kinds,  and 

411 


412 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


relics  of  the  stone  age.  Leaving  Hakodate,  we  soon  find  that  there  are 
few  good  roads  in  Hokkaido,  and  that  tlie  best  mode  of  traveUing  outside 
of  these  is  on  horseback.  Much  of  the  interior  of  this  island  is  a  primeval 
forest,  seldom  penetrated  by  man,  and  then  only  by  the  hunter  of  the  bear 
and  other  animals  having  their  haunts  wdthin  the  wilds. 

Before  quitting  Hakodate  we  frequently  meet  with  a  different  type  of 
people  from  those  we  have  been  accustomed  to  see  in  Hondo.  Tliese  we 
soon  learn  are   the  Ainos,  as   they  are  now  called,  and  considered   the 


EEFRESHMEXT    SELLER. 


original  inhabitants  of  the  more  southern  islands,  but  who  ha\"e  been 
driven  to  this  less  genial  clime  by  their  overpowering  rivals.  The  dis- 
tinction between  them  and  the  Japanese  is  quickly  seen,  one  of  the  most 
noticeable  characteristics  being  their  great  abundance  of  hair.  Except  that 
they  are  milder  in  their  natures,  they  Ijoar  about  the  same  relationship  to 
Dai  Nippon  and  its  present  people  that  the  American  Indians  do  to  the 
United  States  and  its  inhabitants.  They  have  eyes  with  the  inward  fold 
peculiar  to  the  Japanese,  but  they  have  wider  countenances,  broader 
shoulders,  and  more  sturdy  limbs.     The  men  sometimes  reach  a  height 


JAPAN.  413 

of  six  feet,  though  more  commonly  standing  from  five  feet  six  inches  to 
eight.  With  their  heavy  gruwtli  of  hair  and  beard,  wliich  is  never  allowed 
to  be  shorn,  they  bear  a  marked  resemblance  to  the  description  of  Esau. 
The  average  height  of  the  women  is  about  five  feet,  and  their  costume 
does  not  ditfer  materially  from  that  of  the  men,  their  principal  gar- 
ment being  a  frock  open  in  front  and  held  about  the  waist  by  a  girdle. 
It  is  usually  ornamented  simply  by  embroidery  done  in  some  fanciful 
design  of  individual  invention.  Unlike  the  men,  the  women  keep  their 
hair  cut  quite  short,  while  they  give  the  appearance  of  a  moustache  to  the 
upper  lip  by  tattooing  it. 

The  habits  of  these  peculiar  people  are  as  simple  as  their  personal 
appearance.  Their  dwelling  is  simply  a  hut  raised  on  posts,  and  slieltered 
by  a  reed  roof.  Their  slee2)ing-couchi'S  are  rude  benches  built  around  the 
walls  and  covered  with  mats.  A  hole  is  left  in  one  wall  for  a  place  of 
entrance,  while  a  second  serves  fur  a  window,  and  affords  the  only  ventila- 
tion they  have.  Tlie  Ainos,  in  their  religious  rites,  worsiiip  the  sun  and 
moon  as  deities,  and  the  bear  as  a  sort  of  mediator  between  themselves 
and  these  others. 

In  certain  districts  Hokkaido  has  a  rich  virgin  soil,  but  the  Ainos  lived 
solely  l)y  hunting  and  fishing,  imtil  the  new  government  at  Tokyo  in  1870 
decided  to  try  and  raise  these  })eople  from  their  barbarism  by  teaching 
them  how  to  raise  crops.  Accordingly  a  farm  was  established  patterned 
after  a  California  fruit  plantation.  In  order  to  carry  out  this  experiment 
successfidl},  Sapporo,  situated  near  the  centre  of  the  island,  was  selected  as 
the  seat  of  control  here.  Tlie  first  tiling  to  be  done  was  to  cut  a  road 
through  a  trackless  wilderness  for  nearly  seventy-five  miles  from  Hako- 
date, and  otiier  liighways  had  to  be  opened,  so  that  in  all  nearly  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  of  road  were  built.  In  addition  to  this  expense  large 
sums  were  laid  out  in  mills  to  saw  luml)er,  and  in  machinery  of  one  kind 
and  another  to  run  the  work  of  building  houses  and  bridges  across  the 
numerous  streams  intersecting  the  country.  From  such  a  beginning,  and 
with  this  worthy  object,  spnnig  into  existence  a  capital  with  houses  of 
boarded  walls  and  shingled  roofs,  similar  to  the  homes  of  our  own  Far 
West. 

The  l)uilding  of  railroads  next  eng.aged  the  attention  of  the  Japanese, 
and  now  Sajjporo  has  coiuiecticm  by  rail  with  Otarunai,  on  the  north  c<jast, 


414 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


twenty  miles  distant ;  to  the  Cola  mines  of  Poronai,  thirty-five  miles  away  ; 
and  southward,  to  Shin-moraran,  a  good  port  on  Volcano  Bay.  Along 
these  same  routes  are  lines  of  telegraph,  which  have  been  of  great  benefit 
in  opening  up  this  country. 

The  natives  taking  kindly  the  efforts  of   the    government,  wonderful 


A    FISHERMAN. 


results  have  followed.  The  trains  into  Sapporo  from  either  direction  rush 
through  thousands  of  well-tilled  farms,  where  a  little  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  century  ago  stretched  vast  forests,  wliirh  were  the  lairs  of  wild  beasts. 
Crops  natural  to  the  temperate  zone,  Indian  corn,  melons,  cucumbers, 
onions,  asparagus,  and  others,  yield  good  harvests  ;  fi'uit  trees  grow  abun- 
dantly.   Horses,  cattle,  hogs,  and  some  sheep  are  among  the  domesticated 


JAPAN. 


41.-) 


animals.  So  here,  in  a  climate  that  causes  the  ground  to  be  covered  more 
or  less  with  snow  for  half  the  year,  with  the  simple  means  at  their  com- 
mand, by  the  assistance  of  their  conquerors  the  Ainos  have  builded  for 
themselves  a  thriving  agricultural  country,  a  region  of  pleasant  surprises 
to  the  newcomer.  Away  from  this  district  the  Ainos  remain  about  the 
same  as  in  past  generations,  primitive  in  their  customs  and  gentle  in  their 
associations.     They  numbt-r  in  all  about  twenty-five  thousand. 

Much  of  the  scenery  in  Hokkaido  is  picturesque  and  interesting,  particu- 


LANTKItN    MAKKKa. 


larh'  on  the  ncjrthern  shores,  but  the  southland  claims  us,  and,  with  a  brief 
sojourn  among  the  "  Yezo  hills,"  we  bid  adieu  to  its  lakes,  uiount;uns,  vol- 
canoes, and  picturesque  people,  to  recross  the  Strait  of  Tsugaru,  clouds  of 
strange-looking  sea-fowl  screaming  over  our  heads  as  the  little  steamer 
heads  for  the  main  island. 

Upon  reaching  the  .shore  of  Hondo  we  take  the  grand  trunk  line  for 
Tokyo,  the  first  place  of  intere.st  which  wc  pa.ss  being  Sendai,  the  "city 
of  enchantment."  We  tiicn  pass  ihniii,i,fli  tlic  region  of  the  lacqucr-trfi-. 
which  affords  that  varni.sh  .so  much  used  in  Japan.  It  re.sembles  our  a.sli 
to  a  considerable  extent,  and  it  is  its  sap  wliidi  is  so  extensively  used  to 


416 


THE    FAIL    EAST. 


finisli  wood.     It  also  has  an  oil  and  vegetable  wax  that  are  valuable  for 
lighting  purposes. 

Another  tree  of  especial  value  growing  in  this  country  is  the  camphor, 
which  is  an  evergreen  belonging  to  the  laurel  family,  and  lias  great 
clusters  of  yellow  flowers  considered  with  great  favour.  But  the  gum 
obtained  from  tliis  tree  is  wliat  makes  it  tlie  most  valuable.  This  sub- 
stance is  obtained  by  cutting  the  wood  into  small  pieces  and  then  extract- 


FKEDIXG    SILKWORMS. 


ing  the  sap  by  steaming  the  chips  in  a  wooden  trough  until  the  sap  oozes 
out  and  is  caught  in  a  vessel  placed  for  that  purpose. 

Even  going  at  our  slow  rate  we  soon  reach  Fukushima,  the  centre  of  the 
silk  industry.  Tliis  occupation  is  almost  entirely  monopolised  by  girls 
and  women,  as  they  are  better  adapted  to  it  on  account  of  their  lighter 
touch  and  greater  patience  than  the  men.  Groves  of  mulberry-trees  are 
everywhere  to  be  seen.  The  homes  of  the  people  have  a  busy  appearance, 
with  the  women  stripping  leaves  and  reeling  silk,  while  rows  on  rows  of 
white  and  yellow  cocoons  are  placed  on  mats  exposed  to  the  sun's  rays  in 
order  to  "  kill "  the  chrysalis.     Three  weeks  "f  constant  care,  day  and 


JAPAN.  417 

night,  are  required  to  liatch  the  eggs,  and  even  then  many  of  them  are 
lost.  Leaving  this  region  behind,  we  reenter  the  country  of  rice-lields 
and  tea-plantations,  where  young  girls  are  to  be  seen  gathering  the  leaves 
of  the  lastrnamed  plants,  and  putting  them  on  drying-mats.  The  branch 
road  running  to  Nikko  is  reached,  and  we  find  ourselves  travelling  the 
same  route  taken  in  coming  up.  Again  we  view  the  plantations  and  the 
flooded  fields,  the  level  patches  of  deep  green  stalks,  the  stacks  of  ripened 
grain  belted  with  their  natural  fringes,  until  we  are  familiar  with  it  all, 
and  hail  with  gladness  the  reappearance  of  Tokyo's  vast  expanse  of  homes, 
business  houses,  and  public  buildings. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

SHADOWS    OF    DEPARTED    POWER. 

THE  day  has  already  come  when  the  stranger  can  travel  to  all  parts 
of  the  island  empire  without  hindrance,  though  until  very  recently 
the  one  way  open  to  him  was  the  Tokaido,  the  imperial  grand  trunk 
of  the  main  island.  This  word  means,  as  has  been  said,  "  Eastern  Sea 
Road."  Along  this  historic  highway  were  scattered  in  ancient  times 
several  cities  of  importance,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  Odawara, 
now  but  a  shadow  of  its  old  self,  Atami,  Okitsu,  Shizuoka,  Hamamatsu, 
Okazaki,  Nagoya,  while  but  slightly  removed  are  the  great  silk-making, 
tea-raising,  and  pottery-producing  regions  of  Uji,  Gifu,  and  Banko. 

Following  this  great  highway,  the  traveller  beholds  miles  of  unob- 
structed view  of  the  Pacific,  with  its  silvery  beaches  on  the  one  hand ;  on 
the  other,  ranges  of  mountains  crowned  with  snowy  crests ;  while  he 
passes  over  reedy  plains  or  through  beautiful  towns,  his  pathway  bordered 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  distance  by  lofty  cryptomerias.  These  vener- 
able and  gigantic  trees  were  planted  by  command  of  that  noted  shogun 
(general)  whose  tomb  we  visited  at  Nikko,  lyeyasu.  This  was  done  about 
265  years  ago,  or  very  soon  after  the  Pilgrims  landed  at  Plymouth  Rock. 
It  is  true  many  of  the  original  trees  have  fallen  away  for  others  of  a 
more  recent  planting,  but  the  majority  standing  to-day  bear  the  ancient 
grandeur  of  that  far-distant  day.  If  the  fame  of  that  deified  warrior  rests 
largely  upon  his  prowess  with  arms,  he  is  to  be  credited  with  many 
humane  acts,  among  which  ranks  high  the  planting  of  these  cedars  of 
Japan  along  her  most  frequented  highways.  The  prime  object  in  doing 
tliis  was  to  prcA^ent  sunstroke  to  the  numerous  travellers  passing  along 
the  road.  How  many  tired  and  perspiring  pedestrians  have  blessed  his 
name,  for  this  work  is  beyond  estimation,  but  the  number  must  be  legion. 
This  grand  thoroughfare  is  the  equal,  if  not  superior,  of  that  leading  to 
Nikko,  of  which  he  was  the  originator.  Beginning  with  the  seventeenth 
century,  twice  each  year  gorgeous  retinues  of  daimios  (nobles)  passed  over 

418 


.lAl'AN. 


419 


this  route  to  offer  to  the  shogun  at  Tokyo,  then  called  Yedo,  their  renewal 
of  fealty. 

As  is  the  case  with  many  other  old  roads  in  Japan,  much  of  the  ancient 
glory  of  the  Tokaido  has  departed  with  the  advent  of  the  railroad,  which 
runs  for  long  stretches  within  sight  of  it.  This  modern  rival  for  the 
patronage  of  travel  was  begun  in  1872,  and  completed  seventeen  years 
later.     The  difference  between  the  old  way  and  the  new  is  aptly  shown  by 


Wr   *■'•  '?^^ 

^;P^  ^'J^"-m 

I       1!: 

^1^—   fW*   ■»— r    •.-- 

the  fact  that  while  it  formerly  took  seventeen  days  to  perform  the  journey, 
it  cjin  be  compassed  in  as  many  hours  by  the  ste^vm  horse. 

Wishing  to  stop  over  at  Tokyo  until  another  day,  before  resuming  our 
journey  to  Yokohama,  and  thence  along  the  renowned  Tokaido  to  the  west- 
ern country,  we  improve  the  opportunity  to  see  the  yn^hihu  or  "  s]iroad-out 
house,"  as  the  Japanese  word  means.  Now  Japan  can  olaim  as  the  orig 
inal  productions  of  her  own  artists  and  architects  three  forms  of  Iniild- 
ings,  or  structures.  One  of  these  is  the  torii,  found  at  the  entrance  of  all 
Shinto  shrines,  and  which  has  been  described.  The  second  t>f  the  list 
is  the  shiro^  or  castle,  wliicli  claims  a  high  place  on  account  of  the  vtust 
extent  of  the  woik,  and  the  great  size  of  the  stone  used  in  its  buililing 


420  THE    FAR    EAST. 

material.  The  castle  of  Ozasaka,  built  by  Hideyoslii,  contains  stones  forty 
feet  in  length,  ten  feet  m  width,  and  five  or  six  feet  in  thickness.  In  the 
highest  part  of  the  citadel  of  Tokyo  are  stones  over  sixteen  feet  long,  six 
feet  high,  and  three  feet  thick.  What  makes  the  size  of  these  blocks  of 
granite  seem  most  remarkable  is  the  distance  from  \vhich  they  have  been 
brought,  —  as  far  away  as  Hiogo,  more  than  two  hundred  miles  distant. 
They  were  drawn  neither  by  steam  nor  Ijy  beasts,  but  by  hmnan  arms, 
and  were  raised  to  their  lofty  positions  by  the  same  power. 

The  third  of  these  products  of  Japanese  skill,  the  yashiki,  has  a  unique 
and  striking  appearance.  This  consists  of  four  lines  of  houses  arranged 
in  the  form  of  a  hollow  square.  In  the  centre  of  this  front  wall  are 
erected  mansions  for  the  daimio  and  his  ministers,  while  the  outside 
dwellings  are  occupied  by  their  retainers.  The  array  on  the  frontage  has 
the  appearance  of  a  single  building  on  foundations  of  stone,  with,  rows  of 
grated  windows.  The  hollow  interior  is  filled  with  gardens,  walks,  and 
fire-proof  warehouses. 

A  ditch  or  moat,  usually  eight  to  ten  feet  in  width,  and  varying  in  depth 
from  three  to  twelve  feet,  filled  generally  with  running  water  brought 
from  a  long  distance,  encircled  the  yashiki.  The  lotus-flowers  were  allowed 
to  grow  along  the  rims  of  the  moats.  In  case  the  castle  stood  on  an 
elevation  the  slopes  were  grassed  over,  while  the  escarp  was  faced  with 
blocks  of  stone.  Often  miles  of  frontage  of  these  yashikis  were  to  be  seen 
in  the  larger  towns,  under  the  old  r%ime,  making  a  most  monotonous 
appearance.  The  result  to  the  two-sworded  gentry  living  within  tliem 
can  only  be  surmised.  "  Some  of  these  yashikis  covered  many  acres  of 
ground,  and  the  mansions  of  the  Go  Sanke  families  and  the  great  clans 
of  Satsuma,  Kaga,  Choshiu,  and  Chikuzen  are  known  at  once  upon  the 
map  by  their  immense  size  and  commanding  positions.  Within  their 
grounds  are  groves,  shrines,  cultivated  gardens,  fish-ponds,  hillocks,  and 
artificial  landscapes  of  unique  and  surpassing  beauty.  The  lord  of  the 
mansion  dwelt  in  a  central  building,  approached  from  the  great  gate  by  a 
wide  stone  path  and  grand  portico  of  keyaki-wood.  Long,  wide  corridors, 
laid  with  soft  mats,  led  to  the  master's  chamber.  All  the  woodwork,  except 
certain  portions,  stood  in  virgin  grain  like  watered  silk,  except  where 
relieved  here  and  there  by  a  hard  gleam  of  black  lacquer-like  enamel. 
The   walls    were    gorgeously   papered    with  gold,  silver,  or  fanciful  and 


JAPAN. 


421 


coloured  designs,  characteristic  of  Japanese  art,  —  among  which  the  pine, 
plum,  and  cherry  tree,  the  bamboo,  lily,  the  stork,  tortoise,  and  lion,  or 
fans,  were  the  favourites.  The  sliding  doors,  or  partitions,  of  which  three 
sides  of  a  Japanese  room  are  composed,  were  decorated  with  paintings." 
With  the  advance  of  Japan  along  new  lines,  these  structures,  the  outcome 
of  the  Japanese  tent  in  the  early  days  of  Yedo,  are  growing  yearly  less 
frequent  in  Tokyo.  In  the  light  of  modem  civilisation  there  is  no  call  to 
replace  those  the  hungry  flames  destroy. 

We  are  impressed  more  than  ever  by  the  size  of  Tokyo,  which  is  about 
equal  to  that  of  London.  An  odd  feature  to  us  is  the  general  lack  of 
sidewalks,  the  pedestrians  passing  along  in  the  middle  of  the  streets, 
without  particular  danger  to  themselves.  The  drivers  of  vehicles  of 
numerous  kinds  carry  horns,  which  they  blow  to  warn  aside  any  foot- 
passenger  who  may  be  in  their  way.  The  Broadway  of  Japan  is  the  Bund 
of  Tokyo,  along  which  an  odd  mixture  of  humanity  is  constantly  passing 
and  repassing,  the  representatives  of  many  races  of  men  and  many  condi- 
tions in  life.  In  the  midst  of  this  surging  mass  we  caught  sight  of  an 
undersized  man,  dressed  in  a  sort  of  mixture  of  Oriental  and  Occidental 
fashion.  Notwitli.standing  his  singular  dress,  a  glance  showed  that  he 
was  an  American,  and  the  load  of  books  under  his  arms  that  he  was  a 
scholar.  Upon  inquiry,  we  learned  that  he  was  the  celebrated  Lafcadio 
Hearn,  the  author  of  several  books  ujwn  Japan,  and  at  present  a  profes.sor 
of  foreign  literature  in  the  university.  In  fact,  he  is  the  only  foreigner 
left  in  the  Japanese  institutions  of  education,  where  a  few  years  ago 
American  and  European  teachers  were  common.  But  that  was  Ijefure 
the  Chinese-Japane.se  war,  and  even  this  man  of  letters  might  not  be  tiie 
exception  had  he  retained  more  of  his  Americanism  and  adopted  less  of 
his  chosen  country. 

The  train  leaves  Tokyo  for  Yokoliama  at  1.30  r.  m.,  and  bidding  the 
capital  good-bye  for  another  period,  which  may  be  longer  than  our  first, 
two  hours  later  we  are  again  threading  the  streets  of  the  latter  city.  Here 
we  plan  a  tour  into  the  heart  of  Jajian,  intending  to  visit  the  historic 
spots  of  the  empire,  which  were  the  battle-grounds  of  the  days  of  feudal- 
ism. In  order  to  do  this  to  our  greatest  sati.sfaction  we  shall  travel 
little  by  rail,  preferring  the  jinrikisba,  or  that  still  more  primitive  mode, 
travel  by  foot. 


422 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


If  not  particularly  attractive  in  itself,  Yokohama  is  favoured  with 
beautiful  surroundings.  Twelve  miles  from  this  city  is  Omori,  where 
Professor  Morse  discovered  mounds  of  shells  similar  to  those  found  in 
Florida,  New  England,  and  Denmark.  Near  by  are  the  temples  of  Ikegami, 
which  annually  are  the  scene  of  one  of  the  grandest  religious  jjageants  to 
be  seen  in  Japan. 

A  popular  seashore  resort  is  at  Honmoku,  on  the  beach  of  Mississippi 


MAIN    S.T1;KET,    TOKYO. 


Bay,  where  is  found  that  famous  tea-house  of  Tsukimikan,  which  means 
"Moon  House."  Another  fine  bathing  place  is  Yamashita,  which  is  con- 
ducted in  a  more  primitive  manner.  Boating  is  very  much  in  vogue  at 
the  former  place,  which  has  a  fine  beach. 

Twenty  miles  from  Yokohama  lies  the  shadow  of  that  city  of  sacred 
memories  and  relics,  Kamakura,  which  was  the  capital  of  the  shoguns  for 
nearly  three  hundred  years,  beginning  in  11 9J.  In  tlie  zenith  of  the 
prosperity  and  military  glory,  a  million  inhabitants  lived  where  to-day  are 
plains  covered  with  forest,  patches   of   rice,  and  fields  of  tasseled  corn- 


.lAl'AN. 


42.S 


Kamakiira  had  a  most  eventful  history.  In  1333,  two  Japanese  warriors, 
named  Ashikaga  and  Yoshisada,  after  a  long  siege,  captured  and  nearly 
destroyed  the  city.  Then  the  former  established  a  new  dynasty  of  shoguns. 
Among  the  historic  curiosities  of  this  place  is  the  temple  of  Hachiman, 
standing  on  a  high  plateau,  which  is  reached  by  a  path  leading  up  fifty- 
eight  stone  steps.  The  hero  deified  here  was  a  god  of  war.  This  temple, 
plain  in  its  architecture,  contains  many  relics  of  the  long  and  sanguinary 


vriw   IPS    iiii    HI  1  (  ►  .   voKiiHAMA. 


wars  of  the  old  regime,  and  is  a  treasury  of  military  rDllfctions  to  be 
prized.  In  reaching  this  sacred  spot  the  visitor  passes  through  a  cluster 
of  ancient  trees,  among  which  i.s  a  venerable  icho,  over  twenty  feet  in 
circumference,  and  asserted  to  be  over  a  thou.sand  y«'ars  old.  This  noble 
patriarch  has  a  wide-spreading  foliage  that,  under  the  touch  of  the  autumn 
frost,  turns  to  leaves  of  gold. 

r>(  yond  this  spot  is  a  grove  of  great  religious  intt're.st,  holding  within  its 
sacred  precincts  the  best  image  of  the  Great  Buddiia  to  be  found  in  Japan. 
In  the  park  at  Kara  is  a  larger  representative  of  the  bead  of  the  letding 


424 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


religion  of  the  Far  East,  but  this  image  is  acknowledged  to  be  the  better 
work  of  art.  There  are  many  notable  images  of  Buddha  to  be  found  in 
the  Land  of  the  Gods,  but  not  one  which  can  compare  with  this  in  its 
impressive  presentation  of  the  principles  of  Buddhism,  in  its  historic 
associations,  and  in  its  size  and  work  as  a  masterpiece  of  art,  —  sitting 
here  on  the  deserted  plain  of  Japan's  ancient  capital,  with  its  mighty  but 
reposeful  face  turned  toward  the  sea,  with  a  look  fitting  its  august  mys- 
tery.    Tliis  image  was  made  in  1251,  and  at  that  time  was  covered  by  a 


ROAD    TO    THE    TKMPLE. 


temple,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  square.  A  tidal  wave,  in  1369,  swept 
away  the  building,  but  left  the  statue  uninjured.  The  temple  was  soon 
after  rebuilt,  but  as  if  the  elements  held  some  especial  enmity  against  it, 
for  the  second  time  it  v\^as  destroyed,  1494,  two  years  after  the  discovery 
of  America  by  Columbus,  and  it  has  never  been  reconstructed. 

Though  standing  in  the  open  air,  the  Bronze  Buddha  remains  to-day  in 
an  excellent  state  of  preservation,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  park,  cared  for 
by  individuals.  It  is  a  perfect  symbolisation  of  calm  resignation  and  com- 
plete mastery  over  all  tl  e  passions  and  tempests  that  beset  the  human 
frame,  while  an  intellectual  light  pervades  each  of  its  mighty  features. 


J  A  TAX. 


4iirj 


Buddha  is  represented  to  have  had  great  love  for  all  dumb  creatures.  A 
noted  Japanese  warrior  and  king,  named  Yoritomo,  is  credited  with  con- 
ceiving the  idea  of  placing  here  at  his  capital  an  image  of  his  god  which 
should  outrival  that  at  Nara.  He  died  before  he  could  carry  out  his  plan, 
but  one  of  the  ladies  at  his  court  finished  the  work  of  collecting  funds,  and 
Kamakura's  '■  Buddha  "  was  cast  in  bronze  on  the  spot  by  Ono  Uoroe- 
mon.     Its  height  lacks  onl}-  five  inches  of  fifty  feet,  while  its  greatest 


A    RUSTIC    TKMI'I.E    flllKINK. 


girtii  is  ninety -seven  feet  and  twu  inclies.  The  widtli  from  car  to  ear  is 
seventeen  feet  and  nine  inches.  The  eyes  are  of  unalloyed  golil  ;  the  fore- 
head is  embossed  with  silver  that  would  weigh  thirty  jjounds.  As  its 
name  implies,  the  image  is  cast  of  lironzc,  tlic  parts  carefully  brazed 
together,  in  the  hollow  of  the  interior  is  a  small  shrine,  and  a  ladder 
leads  up   into  the  head. 

Amid  a  .solemn  silence,  the  8Ui)plicaut  enters  into  the  awful  presence  of 
tlie  graven  god,  and   prostrating  himself  before  tiie  .shrine  pleads  for  its 


426  THE   FAR   EAST. 

favour.  How  many  thousands  have  here  each  year  offered  up  their  prayers 
to  the  divine  ruler  through  this  object  of  worship,  there  is  no  way  of 
knowing ;  but  since  the  image  was  first  placed  here  the  number  must  be 
beyond  the  most  daring  calculation  of  man. 

A  short  distance  from  Diabutsu,  the  Great  Buddha,  is  a  temple  standing 
on  a  summit  overlooking  the  plain  of  Kamakura,  noted  principally  for 
holding  a  wooden  image,  gilded  and  lacquered,  and  thirty  feet  in  height, 
known  as  the  goddess  of  mercy, —  Kwannon.  This  deity  has  modestly 
sought  shelter  from  the  common  gaze  behind  closed  doors,  and  who  wol^ld 
look  upon  her  must  pay  a  small  fee.  At  this  temple  there  is  also  a  popu- 
lar idol,  the  god  of  money.  He  does  not  sit,  as  an  American  might  expect, 
upon  typical  money-bags,  but  rests  on  two  sacks  of  rice,  the  Japanese 
idea  of  prosperity,  and  holds  in  his  hand  a  mallet.  The  superstitious 
believe  he  has  power  to  helji  them  in  affairs  of  finance.  Another  potent 
image,  let  the  believer  tell  it,  is  a  god  who  possesses  the  power  to  cure  the 
ills  of  the  human  body,  providing  the  afflicted  sunply  rubs  that  part  of 
the  figure  where  his  ills  are  located. 

It  requires  no  great  strain  of  the  imagination  of  the  modern  visitor,  as 
he  wanders  amid  these  relics  of  other  days,  —  temples  of  a  thousand  years 
looking  as  if  they  had  been  reared  yesterday,  and  images  remarkable  as 
works  of  art  though  hideous  in  themselves,  —  to  imagine  himself  walking 
along  the  well-ordered  paths  of  these  ancient  groves,  where  so  many  feet 
have  pressed  the  sod,  and  under  such  conflicting  emotions  as  he  of  neces- 
sity 'can  know  nothing.  Everywhere  one  turns  one  is  confronted  with 
sights  and  traditions  of  gods  and  goddesses,  all  of  whom  seem  strangely 
out  of  time,  and  yet  as  miraculously  having  something  to  show  for  the 
superstition  that  gave  theni  being. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

THE    WONDERS   OK    AT.V.MI. 

THE  Tokaido  railroad  swings  to  the  northward,  and  climbs  the  rid,f;e 
reaching  away  to  Fujiyama  at  Gotemba,  in  order  to  pass  around 
one  of  the  most  interesting  historic  points  in  Japan,  Hakone  Lake. 
This  charming  sheet  of  water  is  held,  at  a  height  of  over  2,300  feet  above 
the  sea,  in  a  basin  that  was  once  the  crater  of  an  active  volcano.  Shel- 
tered by  the  adjacent  grassy  peaks,  the  resplendent  beauty  of  the  sunny 
slopes  of  the  Peerless  Mountain  are  clearly  reflected  in  the  placid  bosom 
of  this  Loch  Lomond  of  the  Far  East,  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  scene  upon 
which  nature  has  lavishingly  bestowed  her  treasures.  Hakone  Hills,  as 
well  as  possessing  great  historic  interest,  have  become  a  noted  health 
resort,  on  account  of  the  numerous  hot  springs  to  be  found  in  this  thrice- 
favoured  locality.  There  is  a  double  chann  in  lingering  about  these 
springs,  which  the  tourist  and  health-seeker  is  not  apt  to  deny  himself. 
While  some  of  these  outlets  of  the  spongy  earth  are  perfectly  clear,  others 
are  dense  with  the  sul})liur  they  contain.  The  odour  several  of  these 
emit  is  detected  miles  away.  Not  only  is  this  a  beneficial  retreat  for  the 
invalid,  but  it  affords  a  profitable  location  for  the  innkeeper,  while  a  con- 
siderable supijly  of  sulphur  is  sent  to  the  markets.  Formerly  this  region 
was  known  as  Kojigoku,  or  '•  Little  Hell,"  Init  the  emperor,  on  a  visit  to 
the  place  in  1877,  changed  this  to  Ko-waki-dani,  which  means  "  little 
boiling  valley." 

If  one  at  first  wearies  of  the  softness  of  a  Japanese  landscape  and  the 
dreaminess  of  its  atmosphere,  and  looks  back  with  longing  to  the  rugged 
vvildnessof  an  American  scene,  he  eventually  learns  to  admire  this  languid 
beauty.  It  may  be  a  loss  of  energy  in  the  end,  but  it  is  a  robbery  we  do 
not  feel. 

At  Kodzu  we  turn  to  the  south,  to  find,  at  the  end  of  an  avenue  of  noble 
pines,  on  the  shore  of  the  sea,  that  silent,  dejected  town,  Odawara,  a  queen 

427 


428 


THE    FAK    EAST. 


sitting  in  mourning  over  her  departed  grandeur.  Formerly  tliis  was  the 
stronghold  of  the  Hojo  clan,  one  of  the  early  factions  of  warlike  power, 
and  it  was  the  last  place  to  hold  out  against  the  triumphant  forces  of 
lyeyasu.  Becoming  a  part  of  the  territory  belonging  to  this  conqueror, 
when  he  took  up  his  capital  at  Yedo,  Odawara  dwindled  into  an  insignifi- 
cant town.  Eventually  its  situation  made  it  a  promising  commercial  city, 
when  a  second  enemy  worse  than  the  first,  the  cholera,  left  only  a  handful 


IN    A    NOBLEMAN  S    GARDEN. 


of  its  inhabitants,  and  it  has  never  recovered  from  this  visitation  of  disease 
and  death. 

Atami,  that  strange  but  popular  little  village  by  the  sea,  next  attracts 
our  attention,  and  we  leave  Odawara  in  her  gloom  to  follow  a  road  run- 
ning in  and  out  of  numerous  orange  groves,  but  losing  sight  of  the  water 
only  at  rare  intervals.  Now  and  then  we  catch  sight  of  lines  of  fine 
specimens  of  one  of  the  most  interesting  trees  in  Japan,  the  hamamatsu, 
or  coast  fir.     These  trees  seem  to  have  an  especial  liking  for  the   sea- 


JAPAN.  4-29 

brine,  for  they  press  their  way  down  to  the  very  edge  of  the  water,  often 
dipping  their  arms  into  the  bay. 

Atanii  lies  between  tlie  arms  of  two  verdant  hills,  that  vie  witli  each 
other  in  keeping  their  charge  from  slipping  into  the  sea.  This  delightful 
resort  is  noted  for  two  attractions  above  its  minor  charms,  its  lilies  and  its 
geysers. 

Artificially,  Japan  is  the  very  paradise  of  flowers  and  birds.  The  lead- 
ing figures  in  the  decorative  art  so  common  and  highly  perfected  are 
these  fairest  gifts  of  nature,  until  the  canvas  literally  glows  with  the  one 
and  awakens  with  the  songs  of  the  other.  Japanese  fiction  abounds  with 
vivid  pictures  of  the  plum  and  cherry  bluss(jms ;  we  see  in  fancy  a  land 
brilliant  with  the  varying  colours  of  flowering  buds,  and  the  lives  of  its 
people  a  continual  round  of  floral  picnics.  The  four  seasons  are  those 
of  the  chrysanthemum,  peony,  iris,  and  wistaria.  Thus  we  are  led  to 
expect  everywhere  the  beauty  and  fragrance  of  flowers,  the  sung  and 
mu.sic  of  birds,  which  shall  make  of  this  fortunate  country  an  Hesperian 
garden.  But  the  real  Japan  is  remarkably  silent  of  songsters,  and  barren 
of  the  flowering  plants.  '■  Tliere  are  no  pastures  dewed  with  daisies  and 
starred  with  buttercups  and  dandelions  and  cowslips ;  no  glades  carpeted 
with  bluebells ;  no  golden  plains  of  orange-scented  gorse ;  no  groves  of 
laburnums  and  lilacs ;  no  fields  of  glowing  poppies."  Tiie  ever  pervadinc 
love  fur  the  beautiful  has  been  inculcated  througii  a  longing  for  it  rather 
than  jMKssession  of  it. 

Groves  of  lir  and  pine,  both  red  and  Itlack,  clothe  nearly  all  the  slupes 
of  the  indenti'd  mountain  ranges,  and,  where  these  hardy  trees  cannot  find 
sustenance,  the  clinging  azalea  carpets  rock  and  jirccipice  to  the  very  brink 
of  the  tumbling  cataract.  This  shrub  is  the  only  fluwering  plant  that  i.s 
really  to  be  considered  of  supreme  importance.  Even  this  has  that  love 
fur  its  native  haunt  that  it  will  nut  thrive  except  wliere  nature  has  given 
it  ruot.  These  favuured  spots  are  few  and  far  apart.  Of  course  wo  are 
speaking  now  of  what  nature  and  not  man  lias  done  for  Japan. 

Even  in  the  last  situation,  when  we  come  to  the  core  of  truth,  we  liiul 
that  the  oft-p'-ai.sed  cherry  is  conspicuous  fur  its  want  ratlier  than  for  its 
richness  of  blo.s.som.  What  is  true  of  this  applies  to  the  plum.  Tlie 
beauty  of  a  wcll-ordereil  grove  of  dierries  is  not  to  be  gainsaid,  liut  it  is 
of  a   loner  grade   tliau   tliat   of  an    Anifrican  apple   orchard.     Tlic   fruit 


430 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


being  wortliless,  and  there  being  a  scarcity  of  flowers,  the  people  bow  to 
the  cherry-tree  in  worshipful  adoration. 

We  see  this  same  idea  illustrated  in  the  matter  of  the  leading,  and.  it 
might  almost  be  said,  of  the  only  universal  fruit  of  Japan,  the  pear,  which 
is  really  a  second-class  article.  There  being  no  better  subject  to  outrival 
it,  it  is  eaten  everywhere  in  the  empire,  and  given  a  conspicuous  place  on 
every  fruit-stand.  It  .is  carefully  cultivated  in  groves  and  orchards, 
whither  visitors  are  invited  in  the  season  of  riiiening.     These  orchards 


litis    GARDKX. 


are  objects  of  beauty  in  themselves,  being  planted  with  checker-board 
uniformity,  and  carefully  trained,  laterally,  along  trellises  of  regular  height 
and  form.  Natural  archways,  reaching  for  long  distances,  are  places  of 
great  beauty  both  in  flowering  and  fruiting  seasons.  So  it  is,  the  empire 
over.  Let  flowers  be  scarce  or  plentiful,  the  love  for  tliem  is  the  growth 
of  many  generations,  and  there  is  no  person  so  high  or  humble  who  does 
not  treasure  the  knowledge  and  worship  of  them  in  his  heart. 

Wherever  the  floral  giver  bestows  her  gifts,  she  does  it  with  a  liberal 
hand,  and  if  the  slopes  of  Hakone  are  resplendent  during  the  spring  with 
uncultivated  gardens  of  wild  azaleas  in  their  pink,  white,  and  \  ariegated 


JAPAN. 


V.U 


hues,  so  are  the  hedges  and  hillocks,  the  vales  and  plauis,  of  Atami,  decked 
to  profusion  with  miniature  groves  of  hydrangea  in  their  glowing  foliage, 
and  blue,  white,  and  lilac  blossoms,  with  lilies  of  gorgeous  colouring  burst- 
ing upon  the  landscape  like  waterfalls,  whose  foam  is  of  many  hues.  The 
princess  of  these  floral  showers  is  the  magnificent  white  lily  that  proudly 
lifts  its  snowy  crest,  nearly  a  foot  in  diameter,  to  the  height  of  a  tall  man. 
Its  stems  are  pink,  and  its  broad  leaves  are  splashed  with  crimson  stains. 


Vll.«     Al 


Of  less  haughty  showing,  and  of  more  modest  beauty,  arc  the  orange, 
while,  or  soft-tinted  pink  flowers  that  sccni  everywhere  present.  Not 
content  with  beautifying  the  earth,  these  lilies  venture  to  the  very  edge 
of  the  seashore,  and  their  sisters,  in  scarlet  dress,  spread  out  over  the 
rocks,  until  all  their  bleak  barrenness  is  concealed  under  a  coverlid  of  daz- 
zling brightness. 

While  the  lily  is  the  object  of  beauty  at  Atami,  the   wonder  of  this 
place  is  its  remarkal)le  ge38er.     This  sulphur  spring,  which  has  been  the 


432  THE   FAR   EAST. 

source  of  prosperity  where  was  once  poverty,  is  located  near  the  centre 
of  the  village,  and  within  a  short  distance  of  the  seashore.  It  is  not 
active  all  of  the  time,  and  occasionally  for  days  it  is  as  silent  and  motion- 
less on  the  surface  as  if  its  powers  had  been  spent.  Then  a  low  rum- 
bling, swiftly  increasing  in  volume  until  it  can  be  heard  for  a  long  distance, 
proclaims  its  coming ;  the  earth  quivers  and  shakes  for  rods  around ;  and 
the  hot,  sulphurous  stream  bursts  forth,  rising  several  yards  into  the  air. 
This  upheaval  lasts  for  ten,  sometunes  fifteen,  minutes,  when  the  power 
underneath  seems  suddenly  to  collapse,  and  only  a  dense  cloud  of  white 
mist  remains  to  mark  the  scene.  These  displays  come  with  clockwork 
regularity  every  four  hours,  except  during  those  rare  periods  when  the 
interior  forces  seem  to  be  taking  a  vacation,  and,  though  continuing  less 
than  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  present  a  vivid  and  impressive  phenomenon 
the  beholder  will  not  soon  forget.  Baths  in  this  oyu,  hot  water,  are 
considered  very  beneficial,  and  Atami  is  continually  thronged  with  health- 
seekers. 

Atami  would  not  be  a  Japanese  town  did  it  not  have  its  temple. 
The  latter  stands  just  back  of  the  village,  embowered  in  the  green  woods, 
whei'e  visitors  delight  to  wander  on  the  hot,  sultry,  do-yo  days  of  August. 
The  first  among  these  ancient  trees  to  attract  attention  is  a  venerable 
camphor,  supposed  to  be  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  Japan,  and  possibly 
the  oldest.  Its  years  and  weight  have  separated  its  trunk  so  it  has  two 
bodies,  looking  at  first  like  the  trunks  of  twin  trees,  whose  united  girth  is 
over  sixty  feet.  If  betraying  evidence  of  its  great  age  in  its  body,  the 
ancient  giant  shows  a  vigorous  old  age  in  its  huge  canopy  of  dense  foliage 
overhead. 

As  Ave  sit  under  the  cooling  shadows  of  this  famous  tree,  accompanied 
by  our  inseparable  guide,  we  recall  the  strange  story  told  us  in  the  moun- 
tains of  the  north  regarding  this  king  of  the  greenwood,  as  well  as  of  the 
temple  on  our  right,  now  slowly  falling  into  ruins,  and  of  the  geyser  in 
the  distance,  at  this  moment  sending  forth  its  torrent  of  steam  and  hot 
water.  Our  companion  must  be  a  mind-reader,  for  he  begins  to  repeat 
with  great  fervour  of  speech  and  token  of  faith  the  story. 

Not  always  has  Atami  been  the  thriving  and  happy  town  of  to-day,  and 
away  back  in  the  period  of  its  poverty  and  distress  there  lived  here  a 
very  good    and    pious    man,  whose   one  great  source   of  sorrow  was  the 


JAPAN. 


433 


extreme  suffering  of  his  people  for  tlie  simple  necessities  of  lift-.  In  those 
days  there  were  not  the  many  ways  of  earning  a  livelihood  that  we  have 
now,  and  the  inhabitants  were  fain  to  depend  on  their  catch  of  fish  for 
food.  EvL-n  the  sea  was  fickle,  and  often  its  tides  carried  the  finny  tribes 
of  its  kingdom  to  other  places,  so  that  the  people  living  at  Atami  fre- 
quently went  hungry. 

This  holy  man  had  taken  up  his  abode  in  a  temple   on   this   hilltop, 
so  that  he  might  get  a  wide  view  of  the  bay,  and  warn  the  people  w hen- 


is    A    TKMrl.K    <<>I1CI. 


ever  the  spirits  of  the  deep  frowned  upon  the  land.  You  see  yonder  the 
ruined  walls  of  his  temple-honie.  During  the  warm  .sea.son  this  devout 
priest  loved  to  sit  here  under  this  ciiniph(»r-tree,  whith  was  then  hale  and 
hearty,  spreading  its  wide  liranches  to  the  gateway  of  the  temple.  One 
day.  while  a  famine  was  on  his  ]>eople.  who  were  groaning  aiid  ei)m]ilain- 
ing  in  their  hopelessness,  the  faithful  i)riest,  worn  witli  watching  and 
praying,  fell  asleep  at  his  \>n>\. 

While  he  slept,  he  dreamed  that  the  .•seashore  was  heaped   with   iish  of 
many  kinds  that  wt-re  delicious   to  the    palate.      In    iiis    joy    he    .started 


43-t 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


toward  the  scene,  when  a  great  noise  and  commotion  m  the  water 
stopped  him.  Huge  clouds  of  steam  filled  the  air,  so  that  he  could  hardly 
see  the  bay,  which  was  churned  into  foam  l^y  some  terrible  power  under- 
neath. He  saw  now  that  the  lish  all  lay  on  their  backs,  dead,  every  one 
of  them  having 
been  scalded  to 
death  b  }■  the 
boiling   water. 

His  distress 
was  so  great  at 
this  sight  that 
he  awoke ;  but 
wath  his  eyes 
wide  open  he 
looked  on  the 
same  strange 
spectacle,  only 
the  dead  fi  s  h 
were  piled  deeper 
on  the  seashore, 
while  the  vol- 
canic forces  sent 
spouts  of  hot 
water  high  into 
the  air.  He 
closed  his  eyes 
to  shut  out  the 
sight,  and  prayed 
that  this  awful 
visitation  of  hor- 
ror and  desolation  might  not  be  felt  by  his  people.  In  the  midst  of  this 
unselfish  prayer  he  heard  a  terrific  crash  behind  him,  and  ujjon  turning 
around,  in  new  fright,  he  saw  that  the  huge  camphor-tree  had  split  in 
twain  from  root  to  branch !  As  he  looked  upon  it  dumfounded,  lo !  a 
beautiful  goddess  stepped  from  the  heart  of  the  riven  tree,  and,  handing 
liim  a  branch  from  its  broad  arms,  said,  in  a  voice  of  peaceful  intonation  : 


A    SHINTO    I'HIEST. 


Japanese  Posttnan  {Tattooed) 


.i.\r.\x. 


4.S3 


"Take  tliis  camphur  wand,  0  lioly  man!  and  wave  it  thrice  over  tl'.e 
boiling  sea  ;  and  ere  its  final  circuit  is  finished  toss  it  far  over  the  water 
in  the  name  of  Kwannon,  the  goddess  of  mercy,  when  thy  prayer  shall  be 
answered,  and  Atami's  woe  will  Ijecome  Atami's  joy." 

He  took  the  protfered  camphor  branch,  and  as  he  did  so  she,  as  it 
seemed,  vanislied  iiitu  air.  Mindful  of  liis  duty,  he  ran  toward  tlie  sea- 
shore, whicli  he  reached  quickly,  though  an  old  man.     On  the  shore,  with 


IIIKA  I  KK    AT    (ISAKA. 


the  h(jt  water  liissiug  at  his  feet  like  many  rt'ptilcs,  lie  waved  the  charmed 
wand  tlirice  over  the  tide,  and  tiircw  it  far  out  to  .sea,  witii  a  prayer  for 
Atami's  salvation  ringing  out  clear  and  strong  above  the  tmnult.  that 
Kwanncju  luiglit  hear  it.  Immediately  a  miglity  convulsion  sliook  the 
earth  all  around  iiim,  followed  by  a  dei-j)  rumbling  underground,  which 
grew  louder  and  nearer  each  moment.  Then,  with  a  deafening  roar  and 
a  rush  frightful  to  behold,  the  earth  oi)ened,  sending  forth  a  torrent  of 
seething,  steaming  water,  whicii  ran  down  to  sea.     At  the  same  time,  tho 


436  THE    FAR   EAST. 

water  of  the  bay  became  calm,  and  the  fish  swimming  in  it  had  nothing 
more  to  sutt'er  from  its  flood. 

All  the  people  now  gathered  about  the  fomitain  of  hot,  sulphurous 
water,  and  marvelled,  and  trembled  for  the  end.  But  the  prophecy  of 
the  goddess  had  come  true :  Atami's  woe  had  become  Atami's  joy. 
The  ill  soon  learned  of  the  wonderful  curative  powers  of  the  geyser, 
and  came  from  afar  to  be  healed.  If  the  fish  swam  shy  or  bold  in  the 
sea,  the  population  of  Atami  were  no  longer  dependent  upon  them  for 
their  food,  and  cared  not.  Wise  men  have  said  that  the  goddess  of  the 
sacred  camphor-tree  was  Kwannon  herself.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  visitor 
of  to-day  sees  proof  of  her  coming  in  the  riven  trunk  of  the  tree,  and 
again  in  the  living  geyser,  which  is  both  the  wonder  and  the  wealth  of 
Atami 


I 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  Rll"  VAX  WINKLE  OF  JAPAN. 

THE  rivers  of  Japan  are  short,  but  their  careers  are  as  brilliant  as 
they  are  brief.  Innumerable  rivulets,  bursting  their  silvery  bonds 
amid  the  vild  gorges  of  the  Fujiyama  regions,  unite  their  volumes 
to  form  turbulent  streams  before  the  lowlands  are  reached.  What  is  here 
lost  in  number  is  more  than  made  up  in  swollen  floods.  Fed  by  so  many 
tributaries,  the  rise  of  water  in  this  network  of  rivers  is  often  rapid,  so 
that  when  the  ice  and  snow  melt  on  the  mountains  the  effect  is  startling 
along  the  cour.ses  which  are  incapable  of  carrying  oft"  the  increased  tide. 
But  these  generally  subside  as  swiftly  as  they  rise,  though  this  does  not 
relieve  the  difficulty  of  bridging  these  erratic  streams.  The  Japanese 
have  long  understood  the  art  of  bridge-making,  but  the  amount  of  capital 
required  to  build  the  colossal  structures  necessary  to  span  these  mountain 
rivers  has,  until  within  a  few  years,  deterred  the  people  from  attempting 
to  reach  satisfactory  results.  Japan  has  now  several  bridges  of  huge 
dimensions,  built  with  no  little  engineering  skill. 

The  rivers  of  tlie  Tokaido  district  become  almost  dry  during  the  winter 
months,  but,  swollen  by  the  thaws  of  spring,  they  overflow  their  banks  and 
run  wild  for  a  few  days.  The  longest  of  these  streams  is  the  Ten-ru, 
Heavenly  Dragon  River,  Avhich  rises  in  the  Nakasendo,  or  Middle  Moun- 
tain road,  near  the  thrifty  town  of  Uyeda,  and  traverses  130  miles  of 
country.  The  Oigawa  finds  its  source  over  ten  thou.sand  feet  above 
sea-level,  while  the  Fujikawa,  a  stream  fifty  miles  in  length,  drains  the 
Peerless  Mountain. 

This  last  giant  of  sleeping  volcanoes,  whose  prismatic  splendours  and 
artistic  sublimity  have  been  so  often  expressed  in  works  of  Japanese  art, 
now  attracts  our  intimate  attention.  Seen  from  the  distant  ocean,  its 
truncated  crest,  wrapped  in  a  robe  of  snow  for  three-fourth.s  of  the  time, 
looks  like  a  pink  and  white  pillar  rising  abrujaly  from  the  inuneasurable 
deep.     The  first  land  view  defines  it,  some  fifty  miles  away,  as  a  lonely 

437 


438 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


sentinel  in  wliite,  the  pinnacle  of  more  than  fifty  square  miles  of  country, 
every  foot  of  which  has  helped  to  rear  this  gigantic  monarch.  Seen  in 
the  clear  light  of  morning,  a  mystic  halo  seems  to  encircle  it,  from  which 
it  bursts  forth  like  a  jewel  of  purest  lustre  set  in  an  opaline  sky.  Under 
this  effect,  it  is  easy  to  accept  the  poetical  signification  of  its  name. 

On  a  nearer  approach,  its  complete  isolation  is  removed,  and  other  satel- 
lites, one  of  them  Oyama,  as  high  as  Mount  Washington,  in  New  England, 


FUJIKAWA    RIVER    LOOKING    TOWARD    FUJIYAMA. 


become  visible,  one  after  anotlier,  until  it  is  seen  that  this  chief  is  really 
the  central  summit  of  a  court  of  serrated  cones  rising  from  attendant 
mountain  ranges  and  detached  ridges  and  peaks.  Here  the  monarch 
holds  his  court  in  the  realm  of  glittering  mountain-tops,  whose  dazzling 
splendours  aptly  bear  out  all  that  tradition  has  attributed  to  this  grand 
panorama. 

The  voice  of  ages  says  that  this  vast  mountain  was  builded  in  a  single 
night,  and  the  earth  and  substance  taken  to  rear  its  majestic  form  were 


I 


JAPAN.  4;}9 

taken  from  tliat  hollow  in  the  ground,  two  Imndred  miles  distant,  which 
is  now  filled  with  the  water  of  Lake  Biwa.  In  the  light  of  modern 
knowledge,  this  does  not  seem  altogether  impossible  or  iiiii)rohable. 
Witliin  a  comparatively  sliort  time,  tliat  mighty  protuberance  which 
breaks  the  steady  rise  of  the  eastern  slope  of  Mishima  has  been  lifted 
bodily  from  a  depression  in  the  mountain's  lower  regions. 

If  it  is  now  inactive,  one  need  not  go  far  to  find  ample  evidence  of  the 
terrific  upheavals  of  earth,  ashes,  and  molten  masses,  which  are  veiled  but 
not  concealed  by  the  thin  growth  of  vegetables  creeping  over  Fujiyama's 
broad,  pumice-covered  slopes.  What  Vesuvius  is  to  Naples,  Kilauea  to 
Hawaii,  Shasta  to  California,  Hecla  to  Iceland,  Fujiyama  is  to  Japan. 
It  is  a  source  of  national  pride,  of  majestic  grandeur,  of  fear  but  lialf 
concealed.  If  Nature  created  this  mountain  in  haste,  she  gave  it  the  soft- 
ness of  contour,  placidity  of  aspect,  and  tenderness  of  verdure  so  common 
to  Japanese  volcanoes.  In  fact,  this  term  in  Japan  loses  its  meaning  of 
barrenness,  desolation,  and  disruption,  for  all  this  is  swiftly  reduced 
by  climatic  influences,  or  concealed  under  a  dense  mantle  of  vegetation. 
We  have  seen,  in  the  north,  an  alpine  wildness  and  sublimity,  but  in  the 
heart  of  Japan  "  green  valleys  nestle  in  the  arms  of  sloping  hills,  while 
these  are  clothed  in  feathery  bamboo  or  billow-boughed  pines,  which  kiss 
the  fantastic  seashore,  where  the  waves  seldom  raise  their  cadence  above 
a  whisper,  as  if  fearful  of  breaking  the  brooding  silence,  deepened  rather 
than  disturbed  by  the  sweet  tone  of  the  temple  bells." 

Pilgrimages  to  the  summit  of  Fujiyama  are  made  with  all  the  religious 
ardour  of  similar  journeys  in  India  to  the  holy  shrines  of  Mecca.  More 
than  ten  thousand  pious  pilgrims  clothed  in  spotless  white  garments,  with 
enormous  hats  on  their  heads,  and  long,  stout  staves  in  their  hands,  annu- 
ally wind  their  way  slowly  upward  toward  the  lofty  crater  of  tiiis  sacred 
mountain  as  if  bound  to  an  incen.se-burning  altar.  Aside  from  the  rev- 
erential feeling  which  naturally  urges  on  the  visitor  to  the  Peerless 
Mountain,  it  affords  one  of  the  noblest  and  most  di-lightful  tri])s  that  can 
be  taken  in  the  Sunrise  Land.  Rising  over  twelve  thousand  feet  from 
the  plain  at  one  sweep,  the  view  from  the  top  is  the  broadest  and  finest 
in  all  Japan.  Not  many  years  since,  the  entire  distance  from  any 
point  had  to  be  made  on  foot,  or  seated  in  the  mountain-chair  borne  by 
four  sure-footed  coolies.     Now  a  three  hours'  ride  by  rail  from  Yokohama 


440 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


takes  one  to  the  village  of  Gotemba,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  If 
the  tourist  is  able-bodied,  he  had  better  complete  the  journey  on  foot. 
Despite  his  extra  exertions  he  will  find  this  preferable  to  being  carried, 
cramped  up  like  a  jack-knife  half  closed,  in  a  kago,  or  that  more  pre- 
tentious but  scarcely  more  comfortable  Eastern  palanquin,  the  noriinon} 

Aljove  the  farm-lands,  which  reach  upward  to  a  height  of  over  fifteen 
hundred  feet,  is  a  wide  belt  of  grassy  moorland ;  then  a  girdle  of  forest, 
stopping  at  six  thousand  feet,  succeeds.     Above  this  band  of  growth  the 


FUJIYAMA. 


vegetation  gradually  becomes  sparse  and  sickish  in  aj^pearance,  until 
finally  the  ancient  paths  wind  in  and  out  of  rocky  ravines,  around  or 
over  huge  patches  of  volcanic  deposits.  The  kago-bearers  go  no  farther 
than  the  upj^er  rim  of  the  forest,  so  that  all  climbers  are  then  obliged  to 
walk. 

The  mountainside  is  dotted  with  rude  huts  built  for  the  accommodation 
of  pilgrims  and  tourists,  who  may  get  caught  in  one  of  the  snow-storms 
which  break  over  the  scene,  often  with  unexpected  fury.     On  the  summit, 

'  OrigiiuUly  the  noriraou  was  the  carnage  of  tlie  nohle.s,  and  the  kago  a  basket  for  the  coa- 
veyaiice  of  the  middle  chiss. 


JAPAN. 


441 


two  and  one-fourth  miles  above  the  sea,  a  stone  hut  has  been  raised,  a 
tip-top  house  for  the  protection  of  the  comers  to  that  lofty,  dreary,  and 
desolate  outlook,  for  such  it  is  until  one's  immediate  surroundings  are 
forgotten  by  the  charm  of  the  view  beyond. 

A  short  distance  from  this  building  is  the  sacred  gateway  leading  to 
the  crater,  which  is  four  hundred  feet  deep ;  and  if  it  has  been  inactive 
fur  almost  two  centuries,  it  has  punctuated  Japanese  history  with  many 
lurid  periods  from  time  iunnemorial,  and  still  furnishes  proof  of  its 
living  fires  by  the  thin  wreaths  of  sulphurous  smoke  rising  from  its 
secret  chambers.  In  1707,  after  a  long  interval  of  silence,  it  suddenly 
burst  on  its  southern  slope,  burying  the  lowlands  around  deep  in  ita 
molten  debris,  while  clouds  of  ashes  were  wafted  out  to  sea  fifty  milch 
away.  Who  stands  in  its  awful  presence  cannot  fail  to  realise,  as  he 
may  never  have  before,  his  own  feebleness  and  the  power  of  that  force 
at  work  beneath,  which  the  next  moment  may  send  him  miles  into  space. 

But  the  horrors  of  the  pit  are  forgotten  in  the  presence  of  the  beautiful 
and  the  majestic.  Below,  stretch  the  corrugated  crests  of  the  inferior 
mountains,  mere  hills  as  viewed  from  this  lofty  eyrie,  while  farther  away 
are  the  plains  and  valleys,  the  dark  groves  of  fir  and  pine,  the  cultivated 
fields,  glistening  sheets  of  water,  silvery  rivers  winding  across  the  land- 
scape toward  the  sea,  hamlets  and  towns  embowered  in  gardens  and  way- 
side trees,  the  bays  indenting  the  coast,  and,  beyuml  all  these,  the  placid 
ocean.  No  view  of  this  kind  is  without  its  charms,  and  the  Peerless 
Mountain  of  Japan  is  not  surpassed  in  this  respect. 

It  is  natural  that  the  aborigines  of  any  country  should  hold  their 
mountains  in  awe,  and  the  Japanese  believed  that  it  would  be  contrary 
to  the  wishes  of  the  goddess  who  was  8upi)0sed  to  have  her  abode  here 
for  a  woman  to  ascend  this  silver-crested  pyramid.  So  it  was  left  for 
a  foreigner,  Lady  Parkes  of  England,  to  perform  that  feat.  She  was 
watchcil  with  awe,  as  she  resolutely  climbed  the  ascent.  That  was  in 
1807,  and  many  of  the  gentler  sex  have  since  made  the  arduous  journey; 
so  that  the  spell  has  been  broken,  and  it  is  considered  nothing  remarkable 
to  make  the  trip. 

While  we  rest  from  this  "  feast  for  the  eyes,"  our  Japanese  friend  sur- 
prises us  with  a  fancy  tale  of  legendary  days,  when  the  earth  was  younger 
and  its  inhabitants  lived  in  clo.ser  connuuiiion  with  it.     Tlie  magic  of  the 


442 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


narrator's  impressive  language,  and  the  flash  of  his  eye,  as  he  dwells  on 
the  scenes  pictured  on  his  vivid  mind,  had  become  a  mysterious  part 
of  his  subject,  which  cannot  be  conveyed  in  the  speech  of  tongue  or 
pen  any  more  than  the  laughter  of  tlie  sunny  waters  or  the  song  of 
the  summer  breeze  can  be  imprisoned  in  the  caverns  of  the  imagination, 
to  be  freed  at  will  with  all  their  subtle  expression.  Shorn  of  this  beauty, 
his  story  runs : 

Over  two  thousand  ^  years  ago,  long  ere  the  old  faitli  was  shaken,  and 


SUWA-YAMA    MOUNTAIN,     KOB^. 

each  pathway  leading  into  the  forests  immemorial  led  under  a  massive 
torii  to  some  sacred  shrine,  there  dwelt  in  the  heart  of  Old  Japan  a  cer- 
tain good  man  named  Yisu.  With  him  dwelt  a  faithful  wife  and  two 
sons  and  two  davighters,  the  sunlight  of  peace  and  happiness  falling  like 
the  beams  of  the  sacred  sun  over  his  liome.  His  dwelling  stood  under 
the  fringe  of  the  forest,  so  that  he  looked  out  upon  the  broad  plain  of 
Suruga. 

In  the  summer  he  was  accustomed  to  tend  his  growing  crops,  but  with 

'  286  B.  c. 


JAPAN.  443 

the  cuniing  of  winter,  with  its  legions  of  wind  and  snuw,  he  delighted 
to  toil  with  his  axe  from  sunrise  to  sunset  under  the  warm  tent  of  the 
pine.  At  nightfall  he  could  l)e  seen  struggling  homeward  under  a  load 
of  logs  and  branches  of  trees  for  the  fire.  Visa  was  renowned  as  a  story- 
teller, and  aroinid  the  cheerful  blaze  he  loved  to  narrate  to  his  family 
wonder  tales  of  the  deep  greenwood  and  the  fairies  and  elves  that  dwelt 
in  its  midst.  The  region  to  the  north  was  wonderland  to  his  listeners,  so 
often  did  he  repeat  his  strange  stories. 

One  night,  as  he  was  telling  an  especially  interesting  tale  of  the  secrets 
of  the  forest,  a  strange  noise  startled  the  little  group.  As  one  and  all 
listened,  it  grew  louder  and  more  terrific,  luitil  it  seemed  as  if  the  wliole 
interior  of  the  earth  was  in  convulsion.  The  cry  of  "  Earthquake !  "  rang 
out  shrilly,  but  Visii  quieted  his  family  somewhat  by  saying  that  had  it 
been  an  eartiiquake  it  must  needs  have  been  sooner  over.  But,  before  he 
had  finislied  speaking,  the  thunder  was  .so  loud  that  he  could  not  make 
himself  heard.  He  was  frightened  himself,  and  taking  his  smaller  chil- 
dren in  his  arms,  while  his  wife  and  the  other  children  clung  to  his  side, 
he  ran  out  into  the  night. 

Even  in  his  fright  he  noticed  that  the  sky  had  taken  on  an  unusual 
lirilliancy.  Orion's  band  of  jewels  hung  low  in  the  stellar  realm,  while 
the  dipper's  seven  diamond  points  shone  like  a  glittering  finger-board  in 
the  sky.  Wliat  amazed  him  most  was  the  fact  that  every  tip  seemed 
focused  toward  the  plain  of  Suruga  and  the  forest  beyond.  Dazzled  and 
bewildered,  Visu  looked  northward,  where  the  way  was  shown  him,  and 
lo !  he  saw  a  sight  he  never  forgot. 

Where  at  sunset  had  stretched  the  vast  plain,  and  beyond  the  green- 
woods, which  had  been  his  pride  and  boast,  rose  a  mountain  !  And  such 
a  mountain  as  he  had  never  looked  upon.  It  ro.se  before  him  like  a  tower 
of  fire,  sending  forth,  far  and  wide,  storms  of  stones  and  molten  debris, 
while  Haunting  into  the  air  banners  of  llames  that  lifted  and  spread  until 
the  very  light  of  the  sky  turned  into  darkness.  Visu  and  his  family 
watched  the  scene,  terror-stricken,  until  another  day,  wlieii  they  returned 
to  their  home. 

With  the  morning  light  they  saw  the  black  folds  whicli  bad  encircled 
the  new-born  nioimtain  take  on  the  bright  and  purple  hues  of  the  golden 
roJies  of  the  sun  goddess,  which   told   them   tliat    .she  was    pleased  at    tho 


444 


THE    FAK    EAST. 


appearance  of  the  newcomer,  wliicli  Visu  saw  was  higher  and  mightier 
than  any  mountain  he  had  ever  seen,  and  he  had  penetrated  far  into  the 
region  of  the  northern  hills.  He  named  it  Fujijama,  declaring  that  it 
was  a  peerless  mountain,  which  distinction  it  has  borne  ever  since.  As 
the  days  passed,  and  the  young  giant  grew  cahner  and  milder  in  his 
appearance,  Visu  loved  nothing  better  than  to  sit  at  eventide,  with  his 
day's  toil  done,  and  watch  the  rays  of    the   setting  sun,  as  they  played 


fHIRAITO    WATERFALL,    FU.IIYAMA. 


arovuid    the  still   smoKing  crest  in  purple  streaks  that  lapped  over  into 
twilio-ht. 

O 

In  time  Visu  learned  strange  facts  concernmg  the  birth  of  Fujiyama, 
his  mountain,  as  he  delighted  to  call  it,  and  vfhich  he  looked  upon  as  a 
watchman  of  the  plain.  In  the  same  hour  that  it  had  risen  from  the 
heart  of  the  great  greenwood,  all  the  sacred  hills  of  the  Kyoto  district  had 
disappeared  with  a  great  hue  and  luibbub.  and  where  they  had  stood 
quickly  shone  a  tranquil    sheet    of   water  of   a   heavenly  blue.     It   was 


.lAl'AN.  44.-) 

sliaped  like  the  loved  lute,  and  was  named  Biwa.  The  people  knew  now 
that  tlie  Peerless  Mountain  had  travelled  nearly  two  hundred  miles  under- 
ground in  order  to  reach  its  abiding-place. 

Though  he  was  the  guardian  of  the  great  greenwood,  and  the  keeper 
of  its  secrets,,  being  on  visiting  terms  with  the  Tengus,  and  often  met  on 
sacred  grounds  the  gods  and  goddesses  that  ruled  over  tlie  things  and 
creatures  primeval,  it  was  fully  a  year  later  before  Visu  dared  to  leave 
his  home  so  far  as  to  penetrate  into  the  deep  forest  skirting  the  foot  of 
Fujiyama  Then,  as  he  went  farther  and  deeper  into  the  trackless  realm, 
he  was  more  and  more  pleased  with  what  he  saw.  It  seemed  to  him  the 
trees  nmer  had  l>x)ked  so  friendly  and  beaming,  the  sun  had  not  shone  so 
briglit.  or  the  sky  looked  so  blue.  Tims  he  kept  on  and  on,  until  finally 
he  realised  that  he  must  turn  lia<k.  lie  had  barely  decided  to  do  this, 
when  a  merry  little  t'nx  bounded  across  his  pathway  in  front  of  liiiii. 
Visu  thought  the  bold  little  fellow  looked  at  him  with  longing  eyes  as  he 
sped  past,  and  stop[)ed  Avithin  sight.  Of  all  the  denizens  of  the  green- 
wood the  fox  is  held  in  highest  esteem. 

"  It  is  a  good  omen  to  have  a  fox  cross  one's  path."  thought  Visu. 
"Seeing  he  has  not  fled  away,  perhaps  if  I  approach  him  he  will  pass 
in  front  of  me  again,  and  thus  ilouble  my  good   fortune." 

Witji  this  intention  in  his  uiiud,  Visu  advanced,  imtil  the  wary  fox 
stiirted  to  run  ofif,  but  .so  shaped  his  course  that  ft^r  the  second  time  he 
ran  before  the  delightL-d  woodman.  As  he  had  stopped  within  sight  now, 
'/isu  imagined  he  was  still  inviting  him  to  come  ahead,  so  he  continued 
to  move  forward,  when,  to  liis  increased  joy,  the  fox  cro.ssed  his  wa}'  for 
Jie  third  time.  In  fact,  this  niantpuvring  was  repeated,  until  .Master 
Reynard  iiad  actually  cnisscd  and  recrossed  the  |»ath  of  Visu  ten  times. 

"Never  did  siuh  good  promise  of  fortune  fall  to  the  lot  of  mortal 
before,"  thought  the  forester,  "antl  I  am  sure  my  happiness  is  to  be 
iiicr('asc(|  tenfold.  ' 

Hut  if  so  auspieiims,  tliis  singular  progress  liati.  <piite  unconsciously  to 
Visu.  t;d<en  him  so  deeply  into  the  woods  that,  when  he  ciine  to  junk 
about  liini.  he  found  lie  was  so  far  that  he  would  be  puz/.led  t^'  lind  hi- 
wav  out.  As  he  stopped  to  look  alxuit  and  listen  for  s<uue  sound  nnid 
the  s(denni  silence,  he  was  |)leased  to  c.iteh  the  soft  murmur  of  waif 
gliiliug  slowly  along  a  smooth   course,   while  there  bi'oke   upon   his  eir  the 


446 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


louder  and  harsher  sound  which  he  took  to  be  the  gurgling  of  a  cascade, 
where  foam-capped  waters  wei-e  tossed  sharply  from  rock  to  rock  as  they 
hurried  on  their  way. 

"  The  water  always  runs  toward  the  plain,"  said  Visu,  half  aloud,  "  and 
by  following  this  stream  I  shall  be  able  to  find  my  way  home." 

Acting  upon  this  idea,  parting  the  bamboo  thicket  just  ahead  of  him, 
he  stepped  boldly  into  a  little  green,  or  clearing,  in  the  forest,  where  the 


I 


MOUNTAIN    VIEW    FROM    MONASTKRY    GAUDJCN,    NIKKO. 


morning  dew  still  lingered  on  the  pale  green  leaves  like  pearly  drops, 
though  the  sun  was  sending  his  silvery  shafts  into  the  beautiful  retreat. 
Visu  thought  it  was  the  prettiest  glade  he  had  ever  beheld,  and  he  stopped 
to  admire  the  scene,  when  a  yet  fairer  sight  caught  his  vision,  and  held 
him  spellbound. 

Visu  saw  nothing  less  than  tw^o  maidens  sitting  on  the  mossy  carpet 
of  the  green,  close  beside  the  bank  of  the  rivulet,  playing  go}     They  were 

'  A  liousehold  game  played  by  the  Japanese,  which  resembles  somewhat  our  chess  or  chcck- 
srs.     It  is  played  with  boxes  of  little  round  buttons  for  checks,  with  the  players  seated  arcniiid 


JAPAN. 


447 


the  fairest,  sweetest  couple  he  had  ever  seen,  and  so  absorbed  were  they 
in  the  game  that  they  phiyed  on  in  silence,  except  for  the  clicking  of  the 
checks  and  the  singing  of  the  running  waters.  Tlie  waving  bamboos 
partly  shaded  their  fair  faces  from  the  sunlight,  but  their  features  seemed 
lit  by  a  light  divine.  As  they  had  not  noticed  his  appearance,  Visu  con- 
tinued to  watch  the  twain,  as  graceful  of  movement  as  the  slender  willow, 
and  as  fair  of  presence  as  the  blossom  of  the  cherry-tree.     Entranced  by 


GIKLI4    WARMING    TIIKMSKLVES. 


the  lovely  sight,  he  did  not  have  the  power  to  break  the  mystic  spell,  and, 
leaning  on  his  axe  helve,  he  watched  and  watched  the  motions  of  the  beau- 
tiful players,  scarcely  daring  to  breathe  lest  he  dispel  the  illusion.  Olilivi- 
ous  of  him,  th(!  maids  continued  to  move  the  chessmen  as  if  their  fut\u'e 
existence  depended  upon  their  skill  in  pla3ing.  The  gentle  breeze  stroked 
softly  their  long,  dark  hair,  lifting  it  ever  so  lightly,  until  the  sun's  rays, 


a  mat  spread  on  the  ground  or  floor.  WomiMi  and  cliildrcu  play  it  at  lionio,  wliilo  it  i»  no  un- 
common sight  to  see  men  stop  in  the  midst  of  th<?ir  hibour,  or  journey,  to  spread  a  mat  at  their 
feet  and  amuse  themselves  for  liours  at  a  time. 


448 


THE    FAR   EAST. 


grown  bold  with  their  opportunity,  played  hide  and  seek  amid  the  d^isky 
coils,  and  ran  races  along  silken  roads.  A  strange  power  seemed  to  bind 
the  enraptured  watcher,  its  delights  growing  with  its  strength ;  time  and 
again  he  closed  his  eyes  to  reopen  them  upon  the  same  scene :  the  green 
with  its  moss  mat,  the  pearl-drops  on  the  laamboos,  the  sweet  maids  play- 
ing, as  if  they  never  intended  to  stop,  in  silence  and  beautiful  contentment. 
At  last,  when  it  seemed  to  Visu  that  it  was  possible  he  had  fallen  asleep 
and  dreamed  it  all,  be  rallied  enough  to  bestir  his  cramped  limbs      The 


CUUXTKV     H<)AI>. 


action  brought  a  low  cry  of  pain  to  his  lips,  and  he  found  himself  so  sore 
and  stiff  in  his  joints  that  he  could  scarcely  move.  He  looked  for  the 
fair  players,  to  find  to  his  surprise  that  they  were  gone. 

"Strange  they  should  have  slipped  away  before  my  eyes^  without  my 
seeing  them,"  he  thought.  "  I  must  hasten  home  and  tell  those  there  of 
the  rare  sight  I  have  seen  in  the  heart  of  the  great  greenwood." 

Leaning  heavily  on  his  axe  helve,  as  he  started  to  move  away,  the  wood 
crumbled  from  under  him.  and  he  fell  to  the  ground.  So  stiff"  were  his 
knees,  and  there  were  so  many  aches  and  pains  in  his  joints,  that  it  was 
several  minutes  before  he  could  regain  his  feet.     lie  saw  to  his  further 


JAl'AX. 


449 


amazement  that  his  hair  reached  far  down  over  his  shoulders,  while  his 
beard  hung  from  his  chin  wide  and  flowing.  Doth,  until  now,  black  as 
the  raven's  wing,  were  white  as  the  snow  on  Fujiyama's  lofty  crest ! 

Not  knowing  what  this  all  meant,  well  might  he  be  frightened,  and  he 
hobbled  homeward  with  what  haste  he  could.  But  it  was  many  hours 
later  when  the  poor,  bewildered  woodman  came  to  a  hut  standing  near 


tlic  b(ir<l(  r  (if  the  forest  and  looking  out  upon  the  ])lain.  IIo  reinenibered 
it  as  his  home,  though  strange  cliildicn  were  plaviug  iiniiind  the  ddor,  and 
unfamiliar  voices  came  from  within. 

"ThcTe  must  bo  visitors  at  hmne,"  hi-  dt'fidt'd  in  bis  mind,  as  he  .stepped 
inside,  to  be  greetetl  with  the  decorous  reception  tiic  .lapanese  alwavs 
accord  strangers. 

"  I  am  looking  for  my  wife  and  (bildren.  "  be  said.  "  I  left  them,  a 
•short  time  since,  for  a  ramble  in  tbe  green  wood.  I'eilia|is  tlnv  bave  got 
aiixiniis,  and  gmie  in   searcb   nf  nie.       if  su,   piitliee  make   baste  and    Inl'inin 

tlieni   of  my  safe  return.      Strange   to   say,    1    am    fatig I   over   mv    walk, 

though  it  has  not  been  overloug." 

They   l()i)ked    ujion    bim    with   a    wundef  tliev  could    not   enlirelv  cunceal. 


450  THE   FAR   EAST. 

and  after  listening  to  his  speech  the  man  shook  his  head.  When  Visu 
insisted  that  this  was  his  home,  he  protested,  saying  that  liis  father,  and 
his  father's  fathers,  had  Uved  there  before  him.  Surely  this  hoary-headed 
stranger,  clothed  in  tatters,  was  one  bereft  of  his  reason,  and  he  pitied 
him.  Then  the  dazed  woodman  told  his  name,  when  the  other  finally 
recalled  that  an  ancestor  had  been  named  Visu,  and  that  he  had  been  a 
man  of  considerable  renown,  who,  when  tired  of  the  earth,  had  sought 
rest  in  the  fastness  of  the  forest  that  he  had  loved  so  well.  But  he  had 
served  his  family  ill  by  going  away  without  imparting  his  intention. 

"  Nay,  brother!  "  cried  Visu,  "  now  you  wrong  an  innocent  man.  I  am 
that  woodman,  and  if  I  have  been  gone  overlong  it  was  no  fault  of  mine. 
Tell  me  where  I  may  find  my  wife,  that  I  may  obtain  her  forgiveness. 
She  was  ever  indulgent,  and  I  promise  never  again  to  pass  within  the 
magic  circle  of  the  mountain  green." 

"  Thy  wife,"  replied  the  other,  looking  incredulous,  "  if  thou  art,  as 
thou  claimest,  Visu,  has  slept  with  the  faithful  for  six  generations.  Those 
you  look  upon  here  are  descendants  of  her  children,  —  hers  and  Visu's." 

Slowly  and  painfully  it  dawned  upon  the  returned  woodman  that  while 
he  had  tarried  in  the  forest,  watching  the  beautiful  maidens  playing  go 
in  the  deep  greenwood,  his  wife,  his  children,  and  his  children's  children, 
had  lived  their  natural  spans  of  life  and  departed.  He  realised  that  he 
had  mysteriously  fallen  out  of  the  race  run  to  the  grave  by  his  generation, 
and  been  left  a  lonely  old  man  in  a  lonely  world.  He  was  taken  in  and 
cared  for  most  kindly,  but  his  heart  was  no  longer  light.  His  remaining 
days  on  earth  were  passed  in  making  pious  pilgrimages  to  Fujiyama, 
and  in  looking  for  the  fair  players  of  go.  Once  he  fancied  he  caught  a 
gleam  of  the  little  fox  who  had  allured  him  into  their  court,  but  he  never 
saw  the  delusive  maids.  Upon  his  death.  Visu  was  fittingly  sainted,  and 
he  has  ever  since  been  worshipped  as  a  deity  of  prosperity. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

KEGIOX  OK  THE  GREAT  EARTHQUAKE. 

DESCENDING  from  Fujiyama  and  regaining  the  route  to  Kyoto,  we 
notice  all  along  the  way  a  fine  view  of  the  country  at  our  feet. 
The  view  at  Sano  is  especially  fine,  the  sacred  mountains  affording 
a  magnificent  background,  while  the  vista  in  front  is  one  of  the  fairest 
landscapes  in  Japan,  with  a  broad  belt  of  glistening  water  beyond.  Dur- 
ing the  afternoon  we  pass  the  scene  of  that  charming  tale  from  Japanese 
folk-lure,  "  The  Robe  of  Feathers,"  which  our  guide  stops  to  relate. 

Many  years  ago,  as  all  legends  begin,  some  fi.shermen  passing  the 
shore  here,  one  day,  saw  a  beautiful  rube  made  of  feathers  from  some 
strange  bird  hanging  upon  the  trees  that  dipped  their  arms  into  the 
seaside.  The  wondering  men,  after  stopping  a  moment  to  admire  the 
magnificent  object,  showed  tluir  honesty  by  passing  on  without  offering 
to  touch  the  rolje,  which  they  concluded  belonged  to  some  woman  of  the 
nobility,  w'ho  had  perhaps  come  here  to  bathe  in  the  clear  tide. 

A  little  later  a  single  fisherman,  landing  on  the  shore  near  by,  dis- 
covered the  robe,  and,  less  scrupulous  tlian  the  others,  immediately 
took  possession  of  it.  As  he  was  making  awa}'  with  it  in  high  jjleasure, 
a  most  beautiful  maiden  ajijteared  on  the  scene,  coming  from  he  knew 
not  whence.  With  tears  in  her  luvely  blue  eyes,  unused  t(j  weeping,  and 
in  a  voice  of  the  sweetness  of  the  wilil  dove,  she  told  him  the  robe  was 
hers.  Then  he  laughed  at  her,  declaring  that  having  it  in  his  possession 
made  it  his. 

She  continued  to  plead  with  him.  saying  that  without  it  she  could  not 
return  to  her  home  in  the  sky.  He  soon  learned  that  she  was  one  of 
many  attendants  that  waited  upon  the  "thirty  monarchs"  that  ruled 
the  moon.  This  only  made  him  more  oljdurate,  while  he  was  fascinated 
by  her  loveliness.  So  he  hesitated  in  rowing  away,  though  he  refused 
to  give  up  his  prize.  To  hesitate  in  his  case  meant  final  surrender,  for 
hinting  to  him  of  the  gay  life  of  the  immortal  dancers,  he  consented  to 

451 


451 


-v7 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


let  her  put  on  the  robe  long  enough  to  dance  for  hhn  one  of  the  wonder- 
ful di'eanis  of  fantasy  enacted  beyond  the  pale  of  mortals.  It  was  the 
agreement  that  he  should  have  the  robe,  when  she  was  done  dancing,  by 
coming  to  her  for  it.  The  narrator  then  proceeds  to  picture,  in  language 
and  gesture  which  cannot  be  translated,  the  bewildering  mazes  and  fan- 
tastic figures  she  performed  on  the  sun-kissed  sands,  while  music  from 
ethereal  flutes  made  light  the  movements  of  the  fairy  maid,  and  sweets 
from  Elysian  bowers  made  fragrant  the  summer  air.     Gradually  he  grew 


^.. 


1 


l,IKl,>      l>A.\tI.N(; 


dizzy  from  watching,  and  as  she  finished  he  reached  to  grasp  the  feather 
robe.  At  that  moment  a  breeze  from  tlie  sea  spread  out  the  precious 
"■arment  like  the  wings  of  a  bird,  and  to  his  amazement  she  was  wafted 
upward,  the  last  note  of  the  song  dying  away  as  she  disappeared  in  the 
blue  space  overhead. 

One  of  the  noted  places  passed  on  this  route  is  the  city  of  Shidzuoka, 
situated  on  an  open  plain  fifteen  miles  from  the  seashore,  and  especially 
honoured  in  being  the  home  of  the  "  last  of  the  tycoons."  This  Shogun 
Keiki,  having  been  shorn  of  his  royal  poAvers,  retired  to  this  city  in 
1868,  where  he  lived  the  life  of  a  simple   country   gentleman   of  leisure. 


.I.M'AN.  453 

spending  his  time  in  fishing  and  hawking.  Japan,  Europe,  and  America, 
owe  more  to  hira  than  they  will  ever  acknowledge,  as  it  was  mainly  due 
to  him  tliat  the  latter  government  (by  the  term  America  we  mean  the 
United  States  in  their  broad  signification),  through  its  representative, 
Commodore  Perrj',  succeeded  in  opening  intercourse  with  this  Robinson 
Crusoe  of  nations.  The  real  emperor  maintauiing  his  official  seclusion  at 
Kyoto,  this  shogun,  as  his  agent,  received  the  strange  visitors,  and  began 
negotiations  with  the  new  power.  In  this  correspondence  he  was  desig- 
nated as  tai-kun,  or  tycoon,  and  as  such  his  name  stands  in  an  honoured 
position  in  history. 

Beyond  this  place  an  iron  bridge  fully  a  mile  in  length  spans  a  rivei 
which,  except  for  a  brief  while  in  spring,  is  a  narrow,  dejected  stream 
It  is  but  an  example  of  rivers  in  Japan.     Streams  that  for  eleven  months 
out  of  the  year  are  dried  up  affairs,  that  seem  to  i)e  withering  to  nothing, 
suddenly  spring  from  their  beds  as  the  snow  melts  from  the  mountains 
and  deluge  the  country  far  and  wide. 

The  country  along  this  coast  for  a  hundred  miles  is  a  vast  rice-field, 
made  up  of  numberle.ss  patches  devoted  to  this  crop.  The  division  of 
these  little  plots,  of  a  quarter  of  an  acre  in  area,  can  always  be  defined 
by  the  grass-tufted  ridges.  A  horse  attached  to  a  plow  of  antique  design, 
and  with  a  tooth  that  turns  up  a  furrow  three  feet  in  width,  is  the  means 
of  stirring  the  sod.  But  rice  culture  must  be  a  very  disagreeable  occu- 
pation, as  the  weeding  and  resetting  have  to  be  done  in  mud  and  water 
knee-deep.  The  mud  of  Japan  is  the  muddiest  kind  of  mud,  too.  Much 
of  this  work  is  done  by  women,  and  it  is  no  uncommon  sight  to  see 
mothers,  with  infants  strapped  upon  their  l)acks,  working  day  after  day 
in  the  rice-swamps.  Forty  l)ushels  of  rice  to  an  acre  is  considered  a  fair 
yield.  The  main  article  of  diet  for  these  workers  is  millet,  wheat,  or 
barley,  dried  fish,  and  seaweed. 

Though  we  did  not  pass  the  marble  monument  erected  to  mark  the  sad 
incident,  we  are  reminded  of  the  fate  of  the  French  .M.  M.  steamer  Nil, 
in  the  Yoshida  Bay,  off  the  town  of  Irima.  on  the  night  of  the  20th  of 
March,  1874.  This  steamer  had  on  Ixianl  111  persons,  and  the  articles 
Japan  had  .sent  for  exhiliition  at  Vienna.  The  night  was  dark,  the  tide 
running  high,  and  her  engine  getting  out  of  order,  the  steamer  ran  upon 
a  rook  and  .sank.     Only  four  persons  escaped. 


454 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


One  of  the  finest  reminders  of  auld  lang  syne  is  the  city  of  Nagoya, 
situated  at  the  head  of  Owari  Gulf,  with  a  castle  aud  moat  of  the  days 
of  feudalism  well  preserved.  No  tourist  fails  to  visit  what  was  once  the 
home  of  the  son  of  lyeyasu,  built  in  IGIO.  Of  late  ^ears  it  has  been 
taken  for  military  purposes,  and  the  broad  strip  of  plain  between  the  outer 
and  inner  moats  has  been  converted  into  a  parade-ground  and  a  barracks. 
The  moats  are  dry  now,  and  along  them  deer  roam,  amid  the  surround- 
ings of  war,  in  peace.     The  castle  is  a  five-storied  stone  pagoda,  the  roof 


THRESHING    RICE 


surmounted  by  two  golden  dolphins  eight  feet  in  height  and  considered  to 
be  worth  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  A  wide  view  of  the  country  can 
be  had  from  the  top  of  this  pagoda,  while  its  glittering  ornaments  are 
prominent  objects  from  all  parts  of  the  city. 

An  entrance  through  a  richly  ornamented  gateway  of  two  stories 
admits  one  into  the  great  courtyard  of  the  temple  of  Higashi  Hongwanji. 
The  walls  and  ceiling  of  this  temple  are  rich  in  their  carvings.  Among 
the  special  objects  of  interest  is  pointed  out  a  stone  with  the  imprint  of 
Buddha's   huge  foot.     As   a   matter  of  uniformity  it  ought  to  be  large. 


JAPAN. 


455 


as  it  is  claimed  he  stood  sixteen  feet  in  height.  This  place  is  noted  for 
its  five  hundred  images  of  the  followers  of  this  religiovis  founder,  painted 
in  bright  colours,  but  no  two  of  the  same  tint.  They  are  about  two  feet 
in  height,  and  show  every  emotion  in  their  grotesque  features,  from  gay 
to  grave,  sublime  to  ridiculous. 

A  tour  of  the  streets  shows  the  workmen  of  various  classes  busy  at 
their  toil.  If  at  first  their  movements  and  methods  seem  clumsy  and 
awkward,  we  are  soon  forced  to  acknowledge  that  there  is  a  certain  ease 


jrv:  »-t 


CARI'KNTEKS. 


and  skill  in  their  workmanship  that  is  hard  to  equal.  In  the  lightness  of 
touch,  the  rapidity  of  motion,  and  the  nicety  of  completion,  they  excel  any 
other  race.  We  .see  proof  of  this  until  we  are  convinced.  Nothing  is 
left  unfinished,  or  with  a  lack  of  proper  poli.sh.  The  carpenter  is  able  to 
build  a  house  with  fewer  pins  or  nails  than  we  u.se,  because  he  fits  his 
tenons  to  mortises  with  a  closeness  that  makes  the  joints  water-tight. 
.Tapane.'^e  workmen  use  their  feet  as  extra  hands,  and  the  great  toe  rivals 
the  tliunib  in  usefulness. 

Another  place,  located  on   one   of    the  sounds  of   Owari    Gulf,    which 


456  'i"HE   FAR   EAST. 

indents  the  island  so  that  its  width  is  narrowed  to  less  than  seventy 
miles,  is  the  village  noted  as  holding  the  revered  shrine  of  Ise,  erected  on 
the  sacred  spot  where  the  early  ancestor  of  the  emperor  first  set  foot  on 
Dai  Nippon.  If  we  are  to  follow  tradition,  the  tenshi,  as  his  loyal  people 
love  best  to  know  him,  is  a  direct  descendant  from  Ama-ga-terasu,  the 
sun-god,  who  came  down  to  the  earth  in  primeval  days  to  dwell  for  a 
time  in  what  is  now  the  province  of  Ise.  This  town  of  itself  is  an  attract- 
ive spot,  embowered  in  umbrageous  groves,  and  surrounded  by  a  beautiful 
landscape  of  hillocks  and  valleys. 

The  Uji  Province,  noted  for  its  tea-raising  since  an  early  day,  lies 
between  Ise  and  Kyoto  on  the  west.  A  tea  plantation,  consisting  of  acres 
of  evergreen  bushes,  from  two  to  three  feet  in  height,  is  one  of  the  pret- 
tiest sights  of  this  region.  Except  the  better  grade  of  tea,  the  plants  are 
left  exposed  to  the  rays  of  the  sun,  Isut  those  that  produce  the  highest 
qualities  are  covered  with  mats  thrown  over  bamboo  frames.  The  soil 
and  climate  of  this  locality  combine  to  make  the  cultivation  of  this  herb 
particularly  successful.  Throughout  this  large  district  every  swell  of 
land,  be  it  hill  or  mound,  is  terraced  and  planted  with  the  tea-shrub, 
which  looks  at  first  sight  like  the  myrtle.  It  bears  a  yellow  and  white 
blossom,  resembling  the  wild  camelia.  It  is  from  this  region  the  tea 
comes  which  we  get  in  the  United  States. 

North  of  Nagoya,  we  pass  through  the  central  region  of  the  great  earth- 
quake of  1891,  and  the  evidence  of  its  awful  visitation  is  still  to  be  seen. 
Before  reaching  Gifu,  a  considerable  ascent  is  made  witli  Ibukiyama  frown- 
ing down  upon  us,  with  its  bare  sides  rising  over  four  thousand  feet  into 
E  id-air.  Gifu, -situated  at  the  angle  of  the  railroad  threading  this  coun- 
try, suffered  horribly  from  the  earthquake  just  mentioned,  not  less  than 
ten  thousand  people  losing  their  lives,  while  twice  that  number  were 
made  destitute. 

Fishing  with  cormorants,  which  seems  to  be  the  principal  vocation  of 
the  people  here,  has  served  to  give  tlie  place  world-wide  notoriety.  The 
cormorant,  which  figures  so  prominently  in  this  sport,  belongs  to  the  web- 
footed  species  of  birds,  of  the  migratory  order,  and  lives  on  fish,  wliich  it 
catches  with  remarkable  dexterity,  and  devours  with  an  equal  voracity. 
It  is  caught  bj  the  Japanese  when,  as  a  young  bird,  it  lingers  on  the  coast 
of  Owari  Gulf  on  its  migration  southward  from  its  summer  haimts  on  the 


JAPAN. 


437 


northern  shores  of  Hokkaido.  This  difficult  part  of  the  work  is  usually 
done  by  placing  a  wooden  image  of  the  bird  in  a  conspicuous  position, 
partially  covered  with  leaves,  and  generously  sprinkled  with  bird-lime. 
The  young  captive  then  has  to  be  given  a  course  of  training  for  future 
usefulness.  This  requires  great  tact  and  patience  on  the  part  of  the 
owner,  and  the  expense  of  keeping  the  cormorant  through  the  winter, 
when  no  fishintr  is  done,  is  considerable.     There  are  cases  where  the  owner 


JAl'ANKSK     IKA     TKADKH. 


actually  deprived  himself  of  needed  I'uod  in  order  to  keep  his  prize  in  good 
shape  for  the  summer  season's  fisiiing. 

Cormorant  fishing  is  generally  done  l)y  a  party  of  fishermen  making  up 
a  series  of  boats,  with  four  men  to  each  boat.  The  chief  or  leader  of  each 
stations  himself  in  the  bow,  and  has  under  his  management  at  least 
twelve  birds,  and  sometimes  iis  many  as  eighteen.  The  way  he  and  his 
feathered  helpers  ply  their  trade  is  what  has  given  this  locality  its  wide- 
spread  reputation    for  this   peculiar   enii)loyment.     Tliis    man    is  distin- 


458 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


guished  by  his  hat  from  a  second  fisherman  in  the  boat,  who  handles  four 
birds.  A  third  person,  seated  in  the  stern,  tends  strictly  to  navigating 
the  boat,  while  the  fourth,  seated  in  the  forepart,  keeps  up  an  incessant 
noise  by  striking  bamboo  sticks  together,  and  in  shouting  to  encourage 
the  birds.     He  is  called  Tcako,  and  is  quite  as  indispensable  as  the  others. 

Each  cormorant  has  had  a  metal  ring  placed  around   its  neck,  fitting 
close  enough   to  prevent  it   from    swallowing  the  larger  fish,  and  suffi- 


>4ir.-    '  '\^..  ^t  ■    )^   iM 


liafe. 


ISHING    WITH    CORMORANTS. 


ciently  loose  to  allow  the  small  ones  to  pass  down  its  throat.  A  sort  of 
harness  is  rigged  about  the  body,  to  lower  and  lift  the  cormorant  at  the 
will  of  its  master.  This  contrivance  is  somewhat  after  the  style  of  a 
shawl-strap,  a  piece  of  whalebone  answering  for  the  handle  on  its  back, 
while  a  stout  cord  is  fastened  to  this  to  keep  the  bird  from  straying  too 
far,  and  to  guide  its  movements.  This  is  made  of  spruce  fibre,  and  is 
usually  about  a  dozen  feet  in  length. 

The  details  carefully  arranged,  the  steersman  allows  the  boat  to  drift 
down  the  river,  its  course  lighted  by  rows  of  torches  on  each  side,  for 


.lAI'AN.  459 

cormorant  fishing  is  always  done  at  niglit.  Upon  reaching  the  fishing- 
ground  the  master  lowers  one  after  anotlier  of  his  birds  into  the  water; 
and  when  the  entire  lot  has  been  let  down,  he  gathers  the  reins  in  his 
left  hand,  keeping  his  right  for  the  recajfture  of  the  cormorant  and 
removal  of  fish  as  often  as  the  occasion  demands.  He  in  control  of  the 
four  birds  follows  the  example  of  the  leader,  and  the  sport  opens  in 
earnest.  The  fish  are  attracted  toward  the  boat  by  the  torchlights,  and 
the  birds  begin  to  gorge  themselves  with  members  of  the  finny  tribe. 
The  creatures  that  seemed  so  clumsy  on  land  dart  hither  and  thither  with 
astonishing  swiftness,  diving  whenever  they  catch  sight  of  a  fish.  These 
feathered  fishers  are  managed  by  the  fishermen  with  remarkable  skill, 
and  a  lively  time  ensues.  The  moment  one  of  the  cormorants  has  filled 
its  capacious  mouth,  it  has  to  be  pulled  in  and  disgorged,  when  it  returns 
to  the  scene  with  renewed  zest.  It  has  brought  in  perhaps  half  a  dozen 
good  fish,  and  in  an  hour  it  will  catch  from  a  hundred  to  a  hundred  and 
fifty.  As  soon  as  the  catch  is  considered  sutficiently  large,  the  run  is 
made  back  to  Gifu,  with  the  birds  resting  in  rows  in  the  boat. 

Tiie  willingness  and  intelligence  with  which  these  birds  enter  into  the 
work  is  surj)rising.  One  of  each  set,  lusually  the  oldest,  an  old.  grizzled 
warrior,  is  leader,  and  he  goes  by  the  name  of  ichi,  or  captain.  The  oth- 
ers, arranged  in  numbers  according  to  their  age  and  size,  are  put  into  the 
water  in  regular  order,  the  ichi  last,  being  taken  out  first.  So  clearly  do 
the  creatures  understand  this  rule,  that,  if  by  mistake  or  intention  it  is 
broken,  there  is  a  rumpus  at  once. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

ALONG    THE    INLAND    SEA. 

THE  Tokaido  is  the  main  artery  of  Hondo,  running  from  the  heart 
of  Japan,  and  through  it  courses  the  life-current  of  the  empire. 
It  runs  through  the  most  populous  cities,  and  the  richest  lands  for 
agriculture.  It  is  along  this  route  that  the  spirit  of  modern  enterprise, 
as  well  as  ancient  glory,  has  been  most  potent  in  shaping  the  affairs  of 
the  realm,  and  with  this  is  connected  the  better  part  of  its  history. 

Leaving  Gifu,  we  soon  after  reach  the  sliore  of  that  sheet  of  water 
whose  beauty  and  legendary  origin  we  have  already  heard  told  in  glowing 
language.  It  is  really  the  lake  of  Omi,  though  more  often  called  Biwa,  on 
account  of  its  resemblance  to  a  Chinese  guitar.  Two  small  steamers  now 
ply  between  two  towns  on  its  historic  .shores,  Otsu  and  Hikone,  the  latter 
a  castled  city  on  the  north  end.  Not  far  from  here  is  that  notable  place 
on  the  west  shore  of  Hondo,  Fukui,  the  "  well  of  blessing."  Biwa  is  the 
only  lake  of  any  size  in  Japan,  and  its  setting  is  worthy  of  the  gem.  It 
lies  only  340  feet  above  the  Inland  Sea,  and  has  a  length  of  nearly  forty 
miles. 

We  are  now  on  the  direct  route  to  Kyoto.  The  country  is  compara- 
tively level.  On  our  left  we  see  series  after  series  of  rice-plantations, 
with  the  labourers  bending  over  their  tasks  completely  hidden  under  their 
huge  hats.  On  the  road  we  meet  many  Japanese  farmers,  either  going 
to  market  or  returning.  They  carry  their  produce,  or  the  product  of 
manufacture,  suspended  from  long  poles,  nicely  balanced  on  their  shoul- 
ders. Some  of  the  loads  thus  carried  are  enormous.  Once  we  overtook 
what  looked  like  a  huge  pile  of  baskets  moving  slowly  along  the  highway. 
A  closer  inspection  disclosed  a  man  under  the  load.  Again  we  met 
another,  evidently  moving,  for  he  was  bowed  beneath  a  load  of  mats  and 
household  utensils. 

We  are  still  on  the  line  of  the  railroad,  and  at  Kusatsa  we  take  the 
train  for  Kobe  on  the  shore  of  the  Gulf  of    Osaka.     This  will  take  us 

460 


JAPAN. 


461 


through  the  ancient  capital,  but  we  shall  not  stop  there  to  look  around,  as 
we  purpose  to  finish  our  tour  of  picturesque  Japan  with  a  voyage  down 
the  Inland  Sea  to  Nagasaki.  Later,  with  ample  leisure,  we  will  return  to 
note  the  many  interesting  scenes  and  history  of  this  renowned  "  city  of 
peace,"  the  soul  of  ancient  Japan.  We  shall  pass  through  another  city 
of  even  more  modern  interest,  Osaka,  which  shall  occupy  its  share  of 
attontion  at  the  proper  time. 


Itl\KIt    VIKW,    XACASAKI. 


We  follow  quite  closely  the  course  of  tlie  river  Yudo,  whitli  lluws 
leisurelv  l^etween  banks  covered  with  reeds,  and  throu<fh  '^roves  of  lirs 
and  bamboos,  its  margins  dotted  with  groups  of  thatched  dwellings.  It 
was  in  this  region  that  the  Jesuits  and  Franciscans  from  Manila,  with 
more  zeal  than  prudence,  went  from  hamlet  to  hamlet,  more  than  two 
hundred  years  ago,  in  their  vain  attempt  to  introduce  Ciiristianity  into 
this  country.  Their  pathetic  fates  have  been  descril)ed  in  our  treatise  on 
the  Philippines.  This  stream  is  a  favourite  li.iuiit  for  the  stork,  the 
noble  white  heron,  and  the  less  adinircd  hawk. 


462  THE   FAR   EAST. 

In  more  recent  time  this  territory  has  been  the  battle-ground  of  the 
powers  contending  for  the  supremacy  of  the  empire.  In  1868,  under  the 
shadows  of  Yamazaki,  near  the  village  of  Hashimoto,  which  means 
"  foot  of  the  bridge,"  the  army  of  the  Tokugawa  was  driven  in  disorder 
to  Osaka  by  the  forces  of  the  emperor.  Japan  has  been  so  drenched  in 
blood  that  it  would  seem  as  if  her  fountains  must  well  forth  a  crimson 
current,  and  the  sap  of  her  trees  run  red  to  the  earth.  But  Mother 
Nature,  who  sets  about  at  once  to  heal  the  scars  made  upon  her  features, 
forgets  not  more  quickly  than  her  children,  and  everywhere  a  spirit  of 
peace  preA^ails.  The  great  aim  of  Japan  is  not  to  parade  her  sorrows, 
but  to  conceal  them ;  not  to  sound  her  triumphs,  but  to  silence  them 
under  the  spell  of  merriment. 

Scarcely  thirty  years  ago  the  streets  of  Kobe  were  furrows  in  the  sand, 
and  the  sites  of  the  numerous  dwellings  plots  of  the  same  white  earth. 
This  town  is  a  lining  proof  of  the  thrift  of  an  Occidental  plant  placed 
in  Oriental  soil.  Across  the  harbour,  which  is  called  from  ancient  faith 
the  "  Gate  of  God,"  stands  its  opposite,  in  more  respects  than  one,  Hiogo, 
of  olden  glory.  This  was  founded  in  the  days  of  Taira  triumphs,  and, 
as  its  name  indicates,  was  an  arsenal.  It  wears  now  a  very  peaceful  look. 
These  two  towns,  presenting  such  a  vivid  picture  of  ancient  and  modern 
influences,  are  landlocked  by  green-walled  hills.  This  port  was  the  first 
visited  by  the  Pacific  steamers  running  between  Yokohama  and  Hongkong. 
The  trip  from  Yokohama  here  is  made  in  twenty-four  hours,  or  six  hours 
longer  than  by  rail.  The  cost  by  cars  is  $10.74  for  first-class,  and  $7.16 
for  second-class. 

Among  the  spots  of  historic  interest  are  the  tomb  of  Kiyomori,  and  at 
Minato,  near  by,  a  temple  reared  to  the  memory  of  one  of  Japan's  heroes, 
Kusunoki  Masashighe,  the  patriot  who  welcomed  death  rather  than 
disloyalty  to  his  country. 

A  place  frequented  by  visitors  to  Kobe  is  the  Men-daki,  or  Female  Fall, 
popular  as  a  summer  resort.  This  is  considered  as  the  especial  bathing- 
place  for  women,  while  higher  up  the  mountain  is  the  On-daki,  or 
Male  Fall,  where  men  and  bo^-s  are  supposed  to  hold  dominion.  The 
height  of  the  first  fall  is  a  little  less  than  fifty  feet,  while  the  water  of 
the  latter  drops  over  a  precipice  over  eighty  feet  high.  The  first  is  the 
prettier  spot,  but   the   latter   is    one  of   wild    surroundings.     Considered 


JAPAN. 


463 


together,  the}-  are  known  as  the  Nunobiki   Falls.     Kobe  was  opened  to 
foreign  trade  in  1868. 

Sixteen  miles  inland  from  Kobe  is  situated  that  mountain  hamlet, 
Ariraa,  where  a  large  percentage  of  the  bamboo  baskets  for  the  foreign 
market  are  manufactured.  This  town  is  noted  also  for  its  medicinal 
springs,  where  the  sufferers  from  rheumatic  ills  flock  the  year  around. 
It  is  a  romantic  spot  set  in  picturesque  surroundings. 


A     V,  A  1  LKI  ALU     A  1      KOiil.. 


It  is  four  hundred  miles  in  round  numliers  from  Kub6  U)  Nagasaki,  the 
brightest,  fairest,  grandest  water  tour  to  be  taken  in  Japan.  Tlie  Inland 
Sea  is  the  choicest  bit  of  water  .snatched  from  old  ocean,  and  hemmed  in 
by  .shores  that  are  an  ideal  of  poetic  and  romantic  scenery.  Isles  of 
enchantment  are  scattered  all  along  the  way,  while  the  steamer,  a  tlnatiug 
island  with  a  dense  population,  drifts  dreamily  past  .sleepy  hamlets  and 
wide-awake  towns,  productive  plains  and  terraced  hills,  reedy  moors  and 
glistening  rivers,  ancient  castles  and  impressive  temples,  evergreen  forests 
and  sunny  mountain  .slopes,  day  after  day. 


464 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


This  charming  body  of  water,  every  part  of  which  holds  some  tale  of 
olden  chivalry  and  modern  romance  of  warlike  deeds,  is  connected  with 
the  Pacific  Ocean  on  the  east  by  the  Channel  of  Kii,  and  to  the  Sea  of 
Japan  on  the  west  by  the  Straits  of  Shimonoseki,  which  has  been  aptly 
termed  the  Gibraltar  of  Japan.  Its  length  is  about  250  miles,  while  its 
breadth  varies  from  narrows  less  than  five  miles  in  width  to  broad  belts 
of  thirty  miles'  expanse.  It  has  an  actual  seaboard  of  720  miles,  with 
many  fine  harbours,  towns  of  active  trade,  and  castled  cities.     It  is  said 


A   i'LiiA,>Li;i.    liuA  r. 


to  have  an  island  for  every  day  in  the  year.     There  are  certainly  enough 
of  them  for  the  comfort  of  the  naviscator. 

The  name  by  which  this  Eastern  Mediterranean  is  known  to-day  seems 
to  have  originated  with  foreigners.  The  Japanese  designated  it  as  Seto 
TJchi,  but  were  accustomed  to  give  it  as  many  as  six  names,  all  taken 
from  the  nada,  or  provinces,  that  bordered  it  at  different  parts.  This 
was  according  to  the  prevailing  method  of  the  Japanese  prior  to  the 
coming  of  the  foreigners.  Instead  of  giving  a  general  name  to  a  river, 
they  would  give  the  stream  as  many  different  local  designations  as  it 
passed  through  districts.     What  was  true  of  the  rivers  applied  with  equal 


JAPAN.  465 

force  to  all  other  natural  features  of  the  islands.  In  fact,  the  island  of 
Hondo  was  without  a  name  for  centuries,  while  Shikoku  and  Kyushu 
awaited  a  christening  by  strangers. 

The  tourist  who  has  seen  everywhere  evidence  of  the  work  of  the  deso- 
lating  volcano,  covering  fertile  plains  with  ashes  and  pumice-stone  until 
they  are  capable  of  bearing  nothing  better  than  bamboo  grass  and  the 
stunted  scrub,  realises  more  than  ever,  amid  these  picturesque  scenes  and 
charming  sea  \'iews,  that  Japan  is  not  a  land  blessed  superficially  with  a 
richness  of  earth.  It  is  true  no  spot  of  arable  soil,  whether  surrounded  by 
some  volcanic  debris,  or  by  the  rocks  of  some  precipitous  hillside  or  sea- 
girt isle,  has  escaped  the  mattock  of  the  industrious  inhabitant,  who  has 
snatched  a  precarious  living  where  one  less  frugal  must  have  starved.  No 
cove,  however  bleak  or  sheltered,  but  affords  a  hamlet  of  peo^^le,  who 
manage,  somehow,  by  sea  or  soil,  to  eke  out  a  cheerful  existence.  This 
slate  of  things  may  be  better  understood  by  the  fact  that  nearly  nine- 
tenths  of  the  territory  of  Japan  at  present  yields  no  part  in  the  supply  of 
food  for  its  inhabitants.  The  percentage  of  area  in  cultivation  is  slowly 
but  steadily  increasing,  however,  where  that  great  modern  king  of  develop- 
ment, the  iron  horse,  penetrates.  As  the  remote  regions  are  thus  brought 
within  reach  of  the  markets,  new  land  in  the  interior  fastness  is  being 
taken  up. 

By  this  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  Japan  is  really  a  country  of 
poverty,  any  more  than  that  its  people  lack  the  finer  tastes  and  apprecia- 
tion of  the  better  things  of  life.  We  have  shown  that  where  there  is  a 
paucity  of  flowers,  they  have  a  love  and  trained  taste  for  them  of  the 
highest  order,  which  is  prodigal  in  its  display.  If  the  Japanese  show  an 
utter  lack  of  business  display  about  their  centres  of  trade,  if  their  dwell- 
ings are  flimsy,  wooden  structures  with  iimer  walls  of  paper,  if  they 
hover  over  charcoal  braziers  instead  of  coal  or  wood  fires,  if  at  night  their 
heads  repose  on  blocks  of  wood  rather  than  pillows  of  feathers,  it  nuist 
not  be  concluded  that  they  do  this  through  ignorance  or  lack  of  culture, 
or  even  that  they  consider  it  an  indication  of  jioverty.  Naturally  the 
stranger  to  this  idea  of  life,  who  enters  one  of  these  primitive  homes  for 
the  first  time,  is  surprised  at  the  complete  absence  of  what  he  considers 
necessary  to  the  comforts  of  a  home.  The  house  that  has  no  furniture, 
not  even  the  common  contrivance  of  a  chair,  none  of  the  appliances  of  ordi- 


4G6 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


nary  comfort,  no  pictures  on  the  walls,  no  books  on  the  tables,  —  because 
there  are  no  tables,  —  no  bric-a-brac  or  any  movable  ornament ;  the  room 
where  he  must  eat  his  dinner  from  the  floor,  and  sleep  on  the  same  plane, 
and  whose  walls  are  silently  folded  away  in  the  morning,  mvist  seem  to 
the  stranger  barren  and  inartistic.  Gradually  he  comes  to  imderstand 
that  this  very  simplicity  denotes  a  superior  taste^  and  an  artless  education 
of  which  he  has  known  nothing,  a  finer  conception  of  true  art  because  more 
closely  concealed  inuler  an  exterior  of  studied  plainness.     Nowhere  does 


JAI'A.NKSK    l!l.DC]IA.Mlii;K, 


the  tourist  find  picturesque  cottages  embowered  in  sweet-scented  flowers 
of  many-hued  foliage,  but  everywhere  the  plain  dwelling ;  the  love  of 
flowers  in  the  heart,  the  absence  of  flowers  in  the  surroundings  ;  the  love 
of  the  beautiful  in  the  soul,  the  modest  concealment  of  this  in  the  dwell- 
ing—  the  body.  , 

The  naval  station  of  Hiroshima  is  reached,  and  the  sacred  island  of 
Miyajima  is  pointed  out  by  our  Japanese  friends,  and  we  look  upon  shores 
lined  with  stone  lanterns  and  wistaria-entangled  groves,  where  deer  roam 
at  will.  A  prominent  feature  is  a  torii,  Imilt  so  far  out  into  the  water 
that,  at  high  tide,  it  is  cut  off  from  the  land.     We  are  told  that  there  has 


JAPAN. 


467 


never  been  a  birth  or  death  in  this  fairy-hind,  tliough  it  is  inhabited. 
Temple  Ishind  is  the  definition  of  its  name,  but  the  Japanese  hne  best  to 
call  it  "  the  enchanted  isle  of  Princess  Sayori."  This  hints  of  romance, 
and  we  are  prepared  to  expect  what  follows. 

Shintoism  still  prevails  here,  and  formerly  devotions  were  paid  to 
the'  spirits  of  the  mountains;  but  this  was  changed  when  a  lovely  god- 
dess, like  Aphrodite  of  Cyprus,  sprang  from  the  sea  to  receive  the  homage 


VII-.W     •  'J      M  1  "■    \.IIM  A. 


ol  I  lie  people  in  place  of  the  invisible  beings  of  yore.  The  sailors  look 
upon  tiiis  divinity  as  their  especial  protectress,  and  this  veneration  is 
held  all  over  the  i.sland  empire.  Everywhere  here,  gentleness  is  supposed 
to  be  an  attribute  of  the  godde.ss,  so  that  beautiful  tame  dci-r  waiidi-r 
where  they  will  unmolested,  and  ])ut  their  soft  noses  into  the  hands  of 
strangers,  asking  for  their  caress  or  for  food.  Lest  this  peacefulness  be 
disturl)ed,  dogs  are  not  permitted  to  live  in  this  Eden.  A  (pieerer  custom 
is  not  to  let  any  death  occur  here,  and  the  dying  are  kindly  and  an.xiou.sly 
ferried  over  to  the  mainland  to  breathe  their  last,  for  fear  the  hallowed 


468 


THE    FAK    EAST. 


spot  may  be  touched  by  sorrow.  On  tlie  other  hand,  no  hfe  is  allowed  to 
begin  its  solemn  journey  in  this  sacred  precinct,  for  fear  it  may  bring 
struggles  and  hardships. 

Sayori  is  honoured  with  three  temples  of  great  beauty,  appearing  to 
rest  at  high  tide  upon  the  bosom  of  the  placid  sea.  The  galleries  of  these 
notable  structures  are  siipported  by  columns  standing  on  three  islets,  and 
the  water  nearly  ovei'flows  them  and  flows  under  the  arches.     The  first 


BLUFF,    YOKOHAMA. 


shrine  is  said  to  have  been  built  in  the  seventh  century,  but  the  distinc- 
tion belonging  to  it  dates  from  1156,  when  Taira  Kiyomori  won  that 
victory  over  his  enemies  which  gained  him  the  throne  beyond  dispute. 
As  he  came  to  rise  to  the  pinnacle  of  his  greatness  he  remembered  his 
scene  of  triumph  here,  and  did  nuich  to  enhance  the  attractions  of  the 
place. 

Many  chapters  might  be  written  upon  the  beauty  and  pleasure  of  this 
ti'ip  on  the  Inland  Sea,  until  at  Shimonoseki  the  steamer  passes  the  last 
narrow  gateway,  and  steams  majestically  out  into  the  open  ocean.     The 


JAPAN.  469 

course  from  this  i)oint,  however,  is  close  in  to  the  shore  dotted  with 
villages,  and  set  with  a  hackground  of  terraced  landscape.  The  noted 
Arched  Rock  is  seen  and  admired,  the  long,  narrow  bay  leading  to  the  fine 
harbour  of  that  San  Francisco  of  the  Far  East  is  reached,  and  we  are  at 
Nagasaki. 

We  find  this  one  of  the  busiest  places  we  have  seen.  Men-of-war  lie 
at  anchor  surrounded  by  lesser  craft,  not  forgetting  the  gondolas  of  Japan, 
the  sampans,  which  seem  everywhere  present.  On  account  of  the  frequent 
rains,  their  cal)ins  are  covered.  The  town  has  many  places  of  interest  to 
the  sightseer.  It  has  its  great  temple,  the  O'Suwa,  surrounded  by  a  beau- 
tiful public  park.  As  at  Yokohama,  foreign  residents  choose  their  building 
sites  on  a  hill,  w'hich  commands  a  wide  view  of  the  city.  A  little  removed 
from  the  town  are  the  hot  springs,  which  call  a  generous  number  of  tour- 
ists hither.  There  are  quaint  villages  lying  under  the  du.st  and  rust  of 
ages  scattered  along  the  coast ;  and  there  is  that  historic  castle  of 
Kumamoto,  which  we  nnist  not  fail  to  see.  In  the  midst  of  our  attempt 
to  decide  which  way  to  turn  first,  the  steamer's  whistle  blows,  and  we 
know  that  the  journey  to  China  is  resumed.  Let  them  keep  on  who  will, 
we  will  give  a  week  to  this  vicinity,  and  then  return,  most  ot  ilie  way  by 
rail,  to  ancient  Kyoto. 


CHAPTER   XVm. 

THE    HEART    OF    JAPAN. 

IN  Kyoto,  the  Moscow  of  Japan,  one  treads  on  hallowed  ground.  To 
lier  credit  belong  unnumbered  sacred  shrines,  the  beautiful  fulfilment 
of  Japanese  art,  centuries  of  classic  memories,  and  a  thousand  years 
of  imperial  life.  This  ancient  capital,  with  a  population  not  far  from 
three  hundred  thousand,  has,  to  a  less  extent  than  most  Japanese  cities, 
become  the  victim  of  the  antagonistic  ideas  of  conflicting  ages.  The  seat 
of  Eastern  imperialism  for  1,074  years,  and  during  three  centuries  the 
strono-hold  of  "  the  Tokugawa  regents,"  it  might  be  expected  to  possess 
the  grandeur  and  magnificence  supposed  to  be  a  part  of  an  ancient  and 
imperial  capital.  Kyoto  does  not  hold  these  attractions,  though  she 
atones  for  this  lack  in  oth6r  ways. 

The  explanation  for  this  absence  of  royal  splendours  is  found,  in  part, 
m  the  tact  that  tlie  emperor  was  nov  tne  real  ruler,  the  administrative 
power  being  actually  held  by  the  regent,  or  shogun,  and  nis  followers,  the 
feudal  chiefs  who  held  the  greater  amount  of  wealth.  The  nobles  of 
the  emperor,  with-  lineages  running  "back  to  kingly  ancestors,  on  the 
other  hand,  were  comparatively  poor,  and  their  abodes  were  marvels  of 
modesty  and  plainness.  The  former  resided  in  the  Eastern  capital, 
Tokyo,  while  the  latter  lived  in  the  Western  capital,  Sai-kyo,  or  Kyoto. 
Here  even  the  simplicity  of  the  imperial  castle  was  noticeable.  A 
few  decorations  from  the  brush  of  some  gifted  painter  relieved  the  bare- 
ness of  its  walls,  and  the  timbers  were  of  fine  grain  without  knots,  —  this 
is  all  that  can  be  said  regarding  royal  display. 

Kyoto  became  the  capital  in  794  A.  d.,  and  the  plan  for  the  new  city, 
where  the  emperor  was  expected  to  be  absolute,  was  one  upon  which  all 
historians  delight  to  dwell  in  glowing  language.  It  was  laid  out  with 
streets  running  with  particular  precision  in  regard  to  the  points  of  the 
compass,  until  a  network  of  communication  was  formed  that  was  a  marvel 
of  perspicuity.     At  the  divergence  of  these  lines,  a  citadel,  becoming  the 

470 


APAX. 


471 


l>ropused  splendour  of  the  capital,  was  built.  The  Ijuildiugs  that  followed 
must  have  been  grand  for  those  remote  times,  and  there  is  little  doubt  of 
the  refining  civilisation  which  existed  then.  But  the  power  of  the  rulers 
centred  here  soon  bet^an  to  weaken,  and  that  arch-eiiemv  to  the  accuinula- 
tion  of  wealth,  fire,  stepped  in,  time  and  agam,  to  destroy  the  structures 
on  street  after  street.  Each  time  that  new  buildings  were  raised  to  take 
tiie  place  of  those  destro3ed,  they  were  smaller  and  cheaper  than  those 
before  them.     Feudalism  was  expanding  and  strengthening,  the  revenues 


KYOTO    FROM    MAItTYAMA. 


of  the  imperial  city  were  l)eing  turned  into  anutlier  channel,  ami  tlii^ 
residt  was  inevitable.  The  emperor  and  his  nobles  were  comi)elled  to  .^et 
this  example,  and  the  citizens  could  not  do  otherwise  than  follow.  So 
Kyoto  grew  poorer  and  poorer,  weaker  and  weaker,  the  faithful  people 
bowing  meekly  to  the  will  of  their  imimveri.shed  chiefs.  Wiiile  the  sub- 
stance of  it  all  went  to  Tokyo,  the  greatness  and  grandeur  of  the  actual 
capital  became  a  shadow. 

Seventy-seven  em|)erors  held  their  courts  in  Kyoto,  each  succeedin ;; 
generation  showing  diminishing  jiomp  and  pageantry,  it  is  true,  but  with 
no  diminution  of  grace  paid  to  them  by  tiieir  followers.     In  the  cour.se  of 


472 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


so  long  a  period  of  time,  many  changes  must  have  been  made  in  the  gen- 
eral appearance  of  the  city,  and  yet  the  original  outlines  of  its  plan  are  to 
be  seen  now.  The  scheme  was  suggested  by  Nara,  with  certain  modifica- 
tions borrowed  from  the  Tang  dynast}-  in  China.  It  had  the  form  of  a 
rectangle,  and  was  surrounded  by  moats  and  palisades.  The  imperial 
palace,  with  its  citadel,  halls,  and  auxiliaries,  standing  in  the  north  sec- 
tion, was  gained  by  a  main  gate  on  the  south,  which  opened  upon  a  long 
broad  street  (280  feet  in  width)  running  north  and  south  through  the  city, 
and  cutting  it  into  two  equal  parts.     The  division  on  the  east  was  kno^^'n 


A    (iAl;l)KN".     KViiKl. 


as  Sakyo,  or  "left  metropolis;"  that  on  the  west  as  Ukyo,  or  "right 
metropolis."  Taken  together,  the  two  parts  were  divided  into  nine  dis- 
tricts, separated  from  each  other  by  wide  streets,  varying  in  width  from 
eighty  to  170  feet.  These  passed  through  the  city  east  and  west,  and 
were  numbered,  instead  of  being  named,  from  one  to  nine,  as  icM-jo,  one ; 
ni-jo,  two ;  san-jo,  three,  and  so  on.  These  names,  or  significations,  are 
retained  to  this  day. 

As  would  be  naturally  expected  where  the  residences  of  the  nobility 
presented  a  marked  simplicity,  the  dwellings  of  the  common  class  were 
low,  and  devoid  of  ornamentation.     This  gave  a  monotonous  and  inartistic 


JAPAN.  473 

frontage,  thougli  the  rear  was  relieved  by  that  happy  gift  of  the  people 
of  converting  bare  grounds  into  fantastic  gardens.  The  roofs  of  the 
houses,  as  a  rule,  were  covered  with  rived  shingles,  thougli  occasionally 
tiles  of  a  slate  colour  were  used.  Tlie  palace  was  conspicuous  by  its 
green  roof,  made  so  by  tiles  imported  expressly  from  China  at  great 
expense. 

The  difference  between  Kyoto  and  Tokyo  is  now  easily  distinguished. 
The  latter  has  its  dissimilar  parts  :  its  official  and  commercial  Tokyo, 
the  pomp  and  glory  of  its  nobility,  the  poverty  and  plainness  of  the 
common  people.  It  was  so  in  the  days  of  feudalism  ;  it  is  so  to-day  ;  only 
the  simple,  meagre  huts  of  the  reedy  moors  are  being  slowly  replaced  by 
better  dwellings.  On  the  other  hand,  Kyoto  stands  to-day,  as  it  did  when 
royalty  and  its  willing  subjects  associated  in  the  fraternal  bonds  of  univer- 
sal brotherhood,  as  a  happy  example  of  an  ideal  capital  of  the  Land  of  the 
Gods.  Here  we  see  by  the  cosmopolitan  idea  of  the  plan  of  the  city,  and 
the  respectful  attention  given  to  the  abodes  of  the  common  class,  the 
capital  of  a  nation  rather  than  the  stronghold  of  a  military  head.  If 
the  first  appearance  of  the  streets  was  that  of  sombre  austerity,  there 
was  no  dwelling  so  poor  which  was  not  flanked  by  a  miniature  park 
beautified  with  tiny  hills  terraced  with  grassy  slopes,  dwarf  forests,  and 
babbling  waterfalls.  There  still  remains  evidence  of  the  high  quality  of 
the  education  and  civilisation  of  Japan  as  disseminated  here  under 
Eniporor  Kwamnm  a  century  before  England  liail  become  a  nation  under 
Alfred  the  Great,  and  a  thousand  years  before  Columbus  discovered  the 
Western  world. 

Unlike  some  of  the  other  Japanese  cities,  Kyoto  is  not  yet  dominated 
by  the  industrial  arts,  and  if  the  streets  are  filled  to  a  certain  extent 
with  the  bustle  and  confusion  of  modern  manufacture,  there  is  still  to  be 
seen  many  an  artist  following  his  decorative  craft  after  the  manner  of 
oM,  ill  imitation  of  nature,  from  leaves  and  flowers  that  overhang  the 
windows  of  his  workshop.  The  city  n.sed  to  lie  in  constant  dread  of 
volcanic  eruptions,  but  this  fear  is  gradually  dying  out.  It  has  now  been 
sixty-five  years  since  it  last  felt  the  shock  of  the  internal  forces. 

Kyoto  lies  on  a  productive  plain,  embowered  by  mountain  ranges  that 
are  covered  with  the  deep  greenwood  of  a  semitropical  clime.  As  well 
as  lioing  the  centre  of  an  agricultural   distrirt  and  the  home  market  for 


474 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


tlie  tea  of  the  Uji  coimtry,  it  is  famous  for  its  manufactures  of  silken 
goods,  its  porcelain  wares,  brocades,  and  embroideries.  In  yet  another 
direction  it  is  noted  as  being  on  a  large  scale  what  Nikko  is  on  a  smaller, 
the  "  city  of  temples,"  holding  within  its  circuit  twenty-five  hundred 
Shinto  shrines,  and  thirty-five  hundred  temples  dedicated  to  Buddha. 

The  bronze  Buddha  of  Kamakura,  the  finest  work  of  its  kind  in  Japan, 
has  been  described,  but  here  in  Kyoto  is  to  be  seen  the  largest  image  of 


\iK\V     M    Al:     hVi 


that  god,  though  it  is  made  of  wood  and  consists  of  head  and  shoulders 
only.  But  these  parts  are  of  such  enormous  dimensions  that  the  top 
reaches  into  the  temple  loft.  The  image  is  gilded,  and  made  hollow, 
numerous  beams  and  cross-timbers  keeping  it  in  position.  Formerly  a 
bronze  statue  occupied  the  place,  but  both  fire  and  earthquake  seemed  to 
have  especial  grudges  against  it.  In  1662  the  temple  and  its  sacred 
contents  were  piled  promiscuously  upon  the  earth.  lemitsu  was  the 
reigning  shogun  at  that  time,  and  his  treasury  being  low,  lie  seized  upon 


Bridge  at  ylrashiyjtna 


JAPAN. 


U,) 


the   opportunity  to    fuse    the   bronze   into   coins,  some  of    which   are    in 
circulation  to-day. 

Located  in  a  building  near  by  is  an  object  of  greater  interest  to  the 
general  visitor,  the  ponderous  bell  made  of  bronze  and  weigliing  over 
sixty-three  tons.  Its  walls  are  nine'  inches  in  tliickness,  and  it  has  a 
height  of  almost  fourteen  feet.  This  is  larger  than  the  Ta-shung-szu  in 
Pekin,  which  has  been  considered  the  largest  suspended  bell  in  the 
world. 

As  mighty  as  this  bell  appears,  it  has  a  companion  that  outrivals  it. 
A  broad  avenue  lined  with  cherry-trees  leads  to  the  temple  of  Chion-in, 
standing  upon  a  hill  in  eastern  Kyoto.  This  edifice  was  erected  in  1211 
A.  u.,  by  a  sort  of  wandering  priest,  who  had  organised  a  new  creed 
known  as  "  the  Road  to  the  Pure  Land." 

This  temple  is  the  principal  monastery  of  the  sect.  The  edifices  of  this 
religious  order,  now  called  Jodo,  are  always  jjlain  and  unostentatious, 
though  full  of  interest.  This  one  at  Chion-in,  if  nothing  else  gave  it 
fame,  is  noted  enough  for  its  massive  bell,  in  reality  the  largest  in  the 
world.  It  hangs  in  the  big  bell  tower  erected  in  1618,  is  ten  feet  and 
eight  inches  in  height,  nine  feet  in  diameter,  nine  and  one-half  inches  in 
thickness,  and  weighs  but  a  fraction  under  seventy-five  tons.  For  almost 
three  hundred  years  it  has  regularly  pealed  forth  its  melodious  calls  to 
prayer. 

Japan  has  many  other  big  bells  of  which  she  may  well  be  proud,  all 
of  them  producing  a  musical,  voluminous  sound,  which  falls  on  the  ear 
with  a  softness  and  depth  of  tone  that  is  wonderfully  delightful.  Russia 
is  justly  famous  for  her  bells,  —  the  bells  of  holy  Mo.scow,  the  bells  of  St. 
Petersl)urg,  the  bells  of  lonely  Ural  Pass,  whose  mellow  cadence  has 
fallen  like  a  funeral  knell  upon  so  many  sad-hearted  bands  of  exiles 
marching  to  a  fate  worse  than  death,  the  merry  bells  of  festive  Novgorod, 
—  but  the  White  Empire  is  outrivalled  by  the  Sunrise  Land,  for  nowhere 
do  the  bells  of  evening  send  forth  sueh  sweetness  and  volume  of  melody 
as  in  Japan.  Here,  in  Kyoto,  if  ynu  ])lease,  ring  out  those  clear,  .solemn, 
massive  tones,  vibrating  on  the  mellow  air  and  through  the  ancient  forests, 
swelling  into  grand  t)f'taves  to  which  the  atmosphere  seems  to  lend  wings, 
as  they  float  far  and  wide,  rising  and  falling  with  tremulous  power ;  now 
fleeing  into  space,  until   .ippan-ntly  gone   for  ever,  anon    retiiriiiiiLr   with 


476 


THE    FAR   EAST. 


reinforced  melody ;  again  retreating,  returning  softer,  sweeter,  fainter, 
until  languishing  in  space  their  beautiful  cadence  lingers  long  with  the 
listener  after  the  massive  bell  itself  has  become  silent  and  motionless. 

The  freedom  from  harshness  distinguishing  the  bells  of  Japan  is  ob- 
tained by  the  different  method  taken  in  ringing  them.  Instead  of  having 
the  metal  tongue  strike  sharply  against  the  l)owl,  a  heavy  wooden  shaft  is 
arranged  to  fall  against  the  bell,  which  does  not  break  in  upon  the  deep- 


GION    TEMPLE,    KYOTO. 


volumed    sound,    which   reverberates    in   an    increasing  circle,   until  the 
melody  dies  away  in  the  distance  with  a  gentle  murmur. 

In  the  grounds  of  the  great  bell  of  Kyoto  is  an  unpleasant  reminder  of 
war  in  the  shape  of  an  ancient  mound,  raised  to  commemorate  the  burial- 
plot  of  the  trophies  of  a  struggle  with  Corea  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
these  mementoes  being  nothing  less  than  the  ears  and  noses  of  the  slain, 
brought  home  by  the  triumphant  army  because  it  couldn't  very  well 
bring  the  bodies. 


JAPAN.  477 

One  of  the  spots  of  ancient  interest  is  the  shrine  of  Inari,  which  word 
signifies  ''  the  rice  man."  This  plain,  austere  structure  was  founded  in 
711  A.I).,  over  eighty  years  before  Kyoto  was  Imih  u|)  as  a  cit}!,  and  it 
is  supposed  to  stand  upon  the  spot  where  the  goddess  of  rice  first  appeared 
in  thi.s  vicinity.  She  was  met  by  an  old  man  carrying  a  sheaf  of  this 
grain  on  his  back,  and  this  .symbol  was  accepted  as  the  deity  of  the  shrine. 
Like  all  sacred  resorts  of  this  aTicient  faith,  the  entrance  is  made  under 
a  great  red  torii  standing  on  the  main  road,  and  then  through  a  massive 
gate  flanked  by  stone  fo.xes.  Reaching  tlie  haiden,  or  court,  one  comes 
to  the  principal  chapel,  witli  plain  portals,  and  walls  painted  red  and 
white.  As  well  as  being  a  shrine  to  this  goddess,  this  place  is  the  memo- 
rial of  many  followers  of  this  religion,  their  monuments  being  parallel 
colonnades  of  red  wooden  torii,  aggregating  nearly  five  hundred  in  num- 
ber but  varying  in  size. 

M0.SC0W,  the  ancient  capital  of  Russia,  with  its  semi-Oriental  and  pic- 
turesque native  grandeur,  is  to  the  Russians  what  Jerusalem  is  to  tlie 
Jews,  what  Mecca  is  to  the  Mohammedans ;  and  Kyoto  is  all  to  Japan  that 
the  first  is  to  the  White  Empire.  Here  Shintoism  found  its  strongest 
adherents,  and  here  it  knew  its  greatest  power.  In  later  years  it  has 
become  the  headquarters  of  Buddhism,  and  the  sects  which  have  sprung 
from  this  religion. 

The  former  is  called  by  the  Japanese  Kami  no  michi,  which  means 
'•  the  way  of  the  gods."  The  word  Shinto  comes  from  the  Chinese,  and  is 
the  form  adopted  by  all  foreigners.  Shintoism  treats  of  the  universe  as 
simply  Japan.  It  knows  no  other  land,  and  its  legends  belong  solely 
to  the  people  of  that  narrow  range  of  country.  The  religion  is  a  mystery 
in  itself.  Its  most  devout  followers  do  not  appear  to  understand  it.  It 
appeals  to  the  people  from  its  very  simplicity.  It  has  no  written  doctrine, 
proclaims  no  moral  code,  pretends  but  vaguely  to  immortality,  and  knows 
no  heaven  nuv  hell.  Its  gods  an;  nature'.s  attributes  personified,  or 
national  heroes  deified.  The  first  are  the  glorious  sun,  the  mysterious 
.sea,  the  swift-flowing  river,  the  gray  rock,  the  deep  forest,  the  migiity 
mountain,  and  other  forms  and  .sounds,  with  their  accompanying  hosts  of 
lesser  powers.  The  majority  of  its  deities  however  are  historical  per.son- 
ages,  with  the  main  principle  ever  in  sight,  that  the  emperor  is  the  de- 
scendant of  the  gods  who  created  the  world,  as  Sliintoism  knows  it.    Thus, 


478 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


the  one  great  object  of  the  religion  is  to  obey  the  royal  representative  in 
all  things.  This  religion  is  the  natural  product  of  the  country,  but  it  is 
not  unconunon  to  find  a  person  born  under  that  faith  who  dies  under  that 
of  Buddha. 

As  has  been  said,  the  Shinto  shrines  are  severely  plain,  and  alike  at  all 
places,  illuminated  by  stone  lanterns,  and  reached  under  massive  stone  or 
wooden  torii.     They  are  classified  under  four  official  grades  :  state,  prov- 


K.YO.MIZr    AT    KYOTO. 


ince,  prefecture,  and  district.  The  first  are  mostly  dedicated  to  "  divine 
ancestors,"  the  exception  being  wliere  deified  rulers  or  subjects  have  won 
especial  distinction  that  gave  them  this  honour.  This  list  embraces  two 
sovereigns,  Ojin  and  Kwammu.  Between  these  shrines  and  those  of  the 
district,  the  difference  is  not  so  much  in  the  deities  worshipped,  but  in 
the  manner  under  which  they  are  sought.  The  latter  of  necessity  must 
be  simpler,  poorer,  and  less  respectful.  This  comparison  is  illustrated  by 
the  shrine  of  Isfe  dedicated  to  Daijin-gii,  the  goddess  of  the  sun,  which  is 


Fujiyatna,  the  Sacred  Mountain  of  Japan 


JAPAN.  471) 

the  highest  in  rank  of  all,  and  the  Myo-jin,  an  inferior  form  of  the  same 
image,  to  be  found  in  almost  every  hamlet. 

Few  of  these  shrines  receive  more  than  a  paltry  support,  say  a  couple 
of  hundred  yen  a  year,  while  others  are  more  highly  favoured.  There  are 
in  the  vicinity  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-five  thousand  Shinto  shrines  in 
Japan,  over  which  fifteen  thousand  shinkwans,  Shinto  officials,  or  priests 
as  we  should  call  them,  perform  the  rites.  The  explanation,  as  to  how  so 
many  shrines  can  be  officiated  at  by  so  few  priests,  is  explained  by  the 
fact  that  at  many  of  them  only  one  service  is  held  during  a  year.  The 
rest  of  the  time  the  structure  may  stand  open,  but  empt}'  of  visitors,  save 
that  at  irregular  intervals  a  straggler  may  enter  in  solemn  silence,  sound 
the  gong  by  pulling  upon  a  hempen  cord  dangling  conveniently  near,  and 
thus  summoning  the  desired  deity,  to  whom  he  mutters  his  supplication, 
pay  his  small  fee,  and  leave  with  a  hopeful  heart.  The  salary  of  the 
priest  is  a  mere  pittance  —  perhaps  thirty  yen;  or  he  ma}',  however, 
receive  as  high  as  one  hundred  yen,  which  would  mean  a  hundred 
dollars  a  month,  providing  a  yen  were  worth  par  value.  Unfortunately 
for  him  it  is  not.  The  lives  of  these  religious  men  are  simple  in  the 
extreme,  but  they  are  allowed  to  marry. 


CHAPTER   XTX. 

THE    FLOWER   OF    EELIGION. 

OUR  Japanese  associate  and  corapanion  must  have  been  under  tlie 
influence  of  the  spell  of  Shintoism,  when  he  guided  us  with  becom- 
ing gravity  to  that  sacred  spot,  Yomega-shiraa,  "  the  island  of  the 
Young  Wife."  Tradition  claims  that  except  at  bright  noonday,  or  under 
a  bright  moon,  this  holy  retreat  consecrated  to  Benten,  the  goddess  of 
beauty  and  eloquence,  lies  swathed  in  vapours.  It  was  neither  noon  nor 
night  when  we  reached  the  hallowed  place,  but  we  never  gazed  on  clearer 
waters  or  a  more  entrancing  landscape.  We  cheerfully  forgive  the  gods 
for  any  omission  they  may  have  been  guilty  of  on  that  particular  occasion. 
What  tradition  lost  we  gained.  Our  companion,  whose  fund  of  legends 
touched  with  history,  and  tradition  tinged  with  romance,  never  seems 
exhausted,  quickly  breaks  in  upon  our  revery  of  other  days.  We  cannot 
well  imagine  where  fact  blends  into  fancy,  but  it  is  all  very  pretty. 

Sometime,  no  matter  when,  so  long  as  it  is  over,  a  beautiful  young 
woman  disappeared  from  her  home.  Everybody  believed  that  she  had 
been  treated  ill,  though  very  pious  and  good.  The  river  was  searched  in 
vain  by  those  who  sought  for  her  body,  and  the  people  despaired  of  ever 
solving  the  mystery  of  her  fate.  Then,  at  the  still  hour  of  midnight, 
this  island  was  lifted  noiselessly  from  the  bed  of  the  stream.  When  it 
was  discovered  in  the  morning  by  tlie  amazed  people,  the  drenched  form 
of  the  beautiful  but  unhappy  woman  was  seen  lying  prone  on  its  bosom. 
This  was  accepted  as  an  omen  from  higli  heaven  that  she  was  well  in  her 
new  sphere.  Her  body  was  buried  on  the  island,  and  the  islet  conse- 
crated to  Benten.  A  torii  was  then  set  up,  surrounded  by  huge  stones  of 
marvellous  shapes.  The  torii,  with  its  stone  lions,  and  the  shrine  stand 
yet,  while  overhead  towering  pines,  grown  gnarled,  knotty,  tortuous,  with 
the  years,  fling  their  long,  twisted  arms  over  the  place.  We  see  all  this, 
and  we  take  our  last  look  at  the  rugged  trees,  which  remind  us  of  so 
many  Druids  standing  guard  at  this  hallowed  ground,  in  silent  acceptance 
of  the  stor}-. 

480 


I'll    M     llI.ii-.«.iiM>. 


JAPAN. 


481 


On  our  way  home  we  are  reminded  of  another  religion,  that  has  tried 
for  twelve  hundred  years  to  master  this  simple  faith  of  Shinto,  by  a  visit 
to  the  temple  of  San-ju-san-gen-do,  first  built  in  1132,  and  rebuilt  in  12G6 
by  the  Emperor  Kameyama.  This  is  noted  as  Ijeing  the  depository  of 
the  33,333  images  of  Kwannon,  the  thousand-handed  goddess  of  mercy 
so  often  seen  in  Japan.     Outside,  the  building  has  little  to  attract  the  eye. 


TKMITK    l>K 


but,  unce  inside,  the  sight  is  dazzled  In  the  vast  collection  of  gilded  deities. 
The  central  figure  in  the  big  hall  of  nearly  four  hundred  feet  in  length 
is  tlie  large  image  of  Kwannun,  resting  upim  an  enormous  lutu.s-leaf. 
The  goddess  is  attended  liy  twenty-eight  followers.  Tlie  altar  is  decked 
witli  numerous  symbols  of  Buddhism,  while  rows  of  the,  images  of  this 
particular  goddess,  cut  five  feet  in  height  from  solid  wood,  and  gilded,  are 
placed  one  above  another  on  eitlier  siile  of  the  throne.  In  the  mitck  halo 
enrireling  the  forehead,  and  in  the  hand  of  each  figin-e,  are  smaller  images. 


482 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


There  are  a  thousand  large  figures,  and  the  rest  made  up  of  smaller 
ones,  all  representing  the  same  original,  but  with  no  pair  exactly  alike. 
Glittering  in  their  gilded  vestments,  they  make  a  bewildering  array.  The 
gallery  behind  this  strange  display  was  formerly  taken  as  a  shooting- 
ground,  and  there  are  many  arrows  yet  left  sticking  in  the  woodwork, 
that  were  sent  hither  by  archers  long  since  gathered  to  the  dust  of  their 
fathers. 

Like  the  creed  of  Shinto,  Buddhism  was  at  first  given  to  the  inhabi- 


STErS    TO    THI-.    SACUKD    GATE. 


tants  in  a  simple  manner.  In  its  simplicity  lay  its  invading  power.  Its 
teachers  nmst  have  foreseen  this.  A  people  that  had  lived  longer  than 
history,  and  in  the  dreamy  atmosphere  of  an  Oriental  clime,  imder  Shin- 
toism,  were  not  prepared  to  receive  a  radical  change.  Tliis  new  creed 
from  the  West,  by  the  way  of  Corea,  simply  sought  to  teach  that  it  was 
evil  to  take  life,  to  steal,  to  be  an  enemy  to  woman,  or  to  partake  of 
stimulants.  The  cardinal  virtues,  which  might  have  been  expected  to 
complete  such  a  discipline,  Avere  to  be  gentle  to  all  dimib  creatures,  pure 
in  mind,  truthful,  moral,  patient,  charitable,  peaceful.  It  is  easy  to  see 
that  these  precepts  carried  out  would  make  a  person  a  model  moral  being. 


JAPAN.  483 

It  is  not  difficult  to  understand  that  a  race  raised  upon  the  code  of  Shin- 
toisni  could  not  be  expected  to  take  at  a  single  draught  even  this  simple 
remedy  for  their  salvation. 

It  will  be  seen  that  no  revelation  was  attempted.  While  the  old  creed 
was  silent  in  regard  to  the  future,  this  new  doctrine  dared  not  venture 
at  first  into  the  mysteries  of  the  unknown.  The  patrician,  who  had  been 
given  to  believe,  under  the  ancient  plan,  that  he  might  eventually  reach 
the  dignity  of  becoming  a  deity,  failed  to  accept  to  any  particular  degree 
the  first  tenets  of  Buddhism,  which  did  not  hold  out  to  him  this  possible 
reward.  Even  the  plebeian  desired  some  more  certain  promise  of  promo- 
tion after  deiith  than  he  could  see  in  this.  So  the  high  priests  of  Buddha 
went  to  work  and  gave  to  the  religion  its  first  touch  of  Japanese  spirit. 
One  Dengyo  Daislii,  in  805  a.  n.,  under  imperial  sanction,  if  not  encour- 
agement of  the  Tended,  that  is,  "  the  heavenly  command,"  taught  the 
beatitude  which  declared  the  "  Lotus  Law,"  or  that  the  covenant  of  the 
Buddha  was  the  manifestation  of  the  ancient  deities  Japan  had  been 
worshipping  under  the  old  creed.  With  this  innovation,  which  restored 
to  the  patrician  all  of  his  old  dreams,  with  pleasant  surroundings,  and 
gave  to  the  plebeian  what  he  had  looked  in  vain  for  before.  Buddhism 
became  a  naturalised  subject,  and  immediately  won  favours  and  followers. 

Yet  the  new  religion  met  with  opposition  from  many  sources  on  account 
of  the  deep  mysteries  about  it,  which  even  its  teachers  dared  not  or  could 
not  interpret,  and  becaii.se  it  required  an  absolute  separation  from  worldly 
duties  on  the  part  of  its  di-sciples.  It  was  commanded  that  the  faithful 
follower  should  neither  tarry  by  the  way  to  ailmirc  the  beautiful,  covet 
the  treasures  about  him,  give  any  thought  to  business,  or  ajiplication  to 
work.  The  average  Japanese  might  readily  accept  the  primar}'  precepts 
of  morality,  abstemiousness,  and  care  for  his  family  that  it  taught,  but 
lie  could  not  den}-  himself  the  busy  world.  Singularly  enough,  the 
cloister  from  whence  emanated  this  doctrine  was  yet  alive  with  the  noise 
and  tumult  of  strife  not  fairly  over,  fi)r  the  monastery  of  Hiyei-zaii,  where 
these  overzealous  priests  ha<l  tlicir  headquarters,  had  often  echoed  with 
resoiiant  ring  of  anus  and  the  tread  of  marching  soldiery. 

So  another,  one  of  the  greatest  of  Japane.se  religious  teachers,  Kobo 
Daishi,  caTue  forward,  in  81G  .v.n.,  with  the  doctrine  of  the  ''True  Word," 
which  eliminated  the  object i()nal)le  features.     The  creed  now  ronsisted  of 


484 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


a  central  saving  spirit,  a  band  of  pleading  angels  in  heaven,  and  an  end- 
less day  of  happiness  for  those  who  followed  the  divine  law,  and  an 
enduring  punishment  for  those  who  had  broken  the  religious  precepts. 
It  also  held  to  the  incarnations  of  the  Supreme  Being,  whose  mission  -was 
to  enlighten  men,  and  lead  them  toward  the  better  life. 

The  Japanese  were  so  well  satisfied  with  this  plan  of  Buddhism,  that 
it  received  no  modifications  for  360  years.     Then  a  change  in  the  condi- 


111-11    Al,     \11\\      IN     A     .MiP>A^lKl;V     GAK1)1-.K. 


tion  of  worldly  affairs  called  for  different  religious  teachings.  Strife  and 
contention  had  run  such  a  wild  riot  over  the  land,  that  the  country  was 
deluged  in  blood,  and  sorrow  bound  the  hearts  of  the  people  in  such  dis- 
tressing bonds  that  a  brighter  prospect  for  future  salvation  was  desired. 
In  the  midst  of  this  hopeless  plight,  Honeu  Shonin,  in  1174,  relieved  the 
spiritual  despair  in  a  large  measure  by  the  foundation  of  the  sect  of  Pure 
Land,  Jodo,  the  underlying  principle  of  which  was  faith.  We  have  seen 
the  temple  of  this  sect  at  Kyoto.  The  beguiling  tenet,  that  trust  in 
Amida,  the  Buddha  of  endless  life  and  happiness,  gained  for  the  disciple 


.lAl'AX. 


485 


admission  to  the  garden  of  peace  and   jjerpetual  joy,  found   many   fol- 
lowers. 

Half  a  century  later,  this  system  was  enlarged  to  accept  love  as  an 
abiding  element,  and  the  new  sect,  whicli  really  became  a  supplement  to 
tliat  of  the  Pure  Land,  strengthened  and  beautified  the  whole.  It  was 
now  taught  that  not  only  did  Amida  stand  Avaiting  at  the  golden  gate  to 
admit  his  disciples  into  paradise,  but  that  he  actually  took  \ip  his  abode  in 


SIflKANUI    TEMPLE. 


tile  lieart  of  hi.s  wor.sliipper  during  his  mortal  life.  Many  of  llie  jiriests 
now  married,  ate  meat,  and  learned  in  the  home  what  they  could  never 
acquire  under  the  old  regime.  Much  of  the  superstition  whicii  ii.ul  pre- 
viously entered  into  the  forms  of  worship  was  abolished.  This  became 
the  "Spirit  Sect,"  and  is  to-<lay,  beyond  question,  taken  in  conjunction 
with  its  ])areiit.  the  Pure  Land  denomination,  tlie  most  numerous  religious 
onler  in  Japan.  One-tliird  of  all  the  temples  in  the  empire  litlong  to  it. 
Still    it    was    left    for    another,    Nichireu,    "the    Lotus    of    Light,"    to 


486  THE    FAR    EAST. 

approach  nearer  yet  to  Christianity  by  founding  the  sect  known  as  the 
Ho-Hokke-shu,  or  "  Flower  of  the  Law."  Tlie  essential  difference  between 
the  idea  advanced  by  this  deep  thinker,  and  the  doctrine  already  adopted 
by  the  people,  was  that  he  held  to  the  principle  of  a  god  who  was  supreme, 
the  beeinnino-  and  the  end.  All  others  had  taurfit  the  result  without 
trying  to  explain  the  origin.  Nichiren's  god  was  an  omnipotent,  omni- 
present, omniscient  deity,  to  whom  was  due  all  the  attributes,  mental  and 
physical.  It  held  that  common  men  failed  to  grasp  the  great  principle 
that  man  was  not  of  various  natures,  but  with  one ;  that  the  earthly  house 
in  which  he  lived  was  not  materially  different  from  the  heavenly  abode, 
except  as  he  saw  things  through  eyes  worldly  and  not  divine.  The 
mission  of  the  sect  of  Nichiren,  then,  was  to  announce  the  close  relation- 
ship of  this  life  with  that  immortal.  Under  these  teachings  '•  death 
ceased  to  be  a  passage  to  a  mere  non-existence,  and  became  the  entrance 
to  actual  beatitude.  The  ascetic  selfishness  of  the  contemplative  disciple 
was  exchanged  for  a  career  of  active  charity.  The  endless  chain  of  cause 
and  effect  was  shortened  to  a  single  link.  The  conception  of  one  supreme 
all-merciful  being  forced  itself  into  prominence.  The  gulf  of  social  and 
political  distinctions  that  yawned  so  widely  between  the  patrician  and  the 
plebeian,  separating  them  by  a  chasm  which  seemed  well-nigh  impassable, 
and  all  the  unsightliness  of  the  world,  became  eidola,  destined  to  disappear 
at  the  first  touch  of  the  moral  light.  The  Buddha  and  the  people  were 
identified." 

At  this  point  it  may  be  aptly  inquired  as  to  whether  the  influence  upon 
the  two  classes  of  people  in  Japan  was  potential,  and  on  wliieh  it  fell 
with  the  greater  power  and  good.  Appealing  at  once  to  a  large  number, 
among  which  were  the  most  far-seeing  of  the  people,  it  fostered  a  litera-' 
ture  of  high  rank,  and  a  philosophy  of  broad  scope.  It  led  to  a  search 
into  the  mysteries  and  j^rofoundness  of  the  Chinese  life  and  learning, 
hitherto  unknown  to  them.  It  reared  temples  grander,  nobler,  and  richer 
than  anything  they  had  dared  to  imagine,  while  the  ritualistic  work  was 
imposing  and  impressive  beyond  description.  Not  only  did  it  afford  a 
development  of  the  morals,  intellects,  and  ceremonials  that  had  already 
subjugated  Asia,  but  it  showed  to  its  latest  disciples  causes  and  results 
of  which  hitherto  they  had  been  in  the  densest  ignorance  ;  it  taught  them 
the  sanctions  of  worship,  tlie   penalties  of  wrong-doing,  and  an  order  of 


JAPAN. 


487 


reasoning  which  was  capable  of  enlarging  and  improving  the  inner  nature 
of  man.  The  patrician.s  received  through  it  newer  and  broader  ideals  of 
laws  and  government,  higher  estimates  of  personal  worth,  and  nobler 
conceptions  of  the  household.  The  plebeians  acquired  through  it  im- 
proved methods  of  husbandry,  loftier  niotives  for  toil,  stronger  ties  of 
brotherhood,  and  a  deeper  valuation  of  home  and  its  environments.  In 
short,  the  religious  iiiniiigraut  from  Asia  brought  a  now  era  of  civilisation, 


IJItoVK    SII(ltlUXI>I.N(J    A    8HISTO- BrDDIIIST    SIMM.N'K. 


ami  whi'ie  before  had  been  rhaos,  a  blank  space  in  the  passage  of  time,  .so 
far  as  written  history  is  concerned,  gave  them  a  record,  and  existence 
among  tlif  nations. 

It  need  not  bo  suppo.'<od  that  all  nf  tlio  (•crcinoni.ils  and  sanctity  of 
worship  at  the  Budilhist  shrine  are  nia(b'  with  tlio  actual  solemnity  that 
appears  on  the  surfaoo.  Many  come  hero  with  tlioir  otTerings,  for  the 
op])ortunity  to  enjoy  a  rest  from  daily  toil.  It  is  true  there  are  cortain 
features  about  the  forms  he  adopts  that  seem  to  an  Occidental  sevore ; 
but  X')  him  who  looks  deeper  into  the  matter  little  of  this  is  apparont. 


488  THE   FAR   EAST. 

Tlien,  too,  there  are  features  connected  with  these  exhibitions,  —  for  they 
seem  such  to  a  stranger,  —  that  appear  oddly  out  of  place  in  the  presence 
of  a  worshipful  throng.  But  the  sight  of  some  trivial,  it  may  be  vulgar, 
act,  as  we  should  rank  it,  in  the  sacred  resort,  does  not  shock  the  devout 
follower  of  Buddha.  The  female  rope-dancer  pUes  here  what  seems  a 
proper  calling,  as  her  performances  tend  to  enliven  the  solemn  scene,  and 
what  lightens  the  cares  of  life  must  be  right  and  pure  in  sight  of  Buddha. 
It  should  also  be  said  that  here  the  female  gymnast  performs  her  part  in  a 
manner  quite  unknown  in  the  Occidental  world.  She  dresses  to  conceal 
rather  than  to  reveal  any  hint  of  her  sex,  and  her  acts  are  in  keeping 
with  this  purpose.  It  is  her  skill  in  doing  some  difficult  feat  that 
attracts  the  audience,  and  not  any  bold  or  untoward  conduct.  Again,  a 
trained  bird  may  be  the  object  of  interest,  and  surely  there  is  no  harm  in 
this  manner  of  entertainment.  Meanwhile,  inside  the  temple,  the  click- 
ing of  the  coin  dropped  into  the  treasury,  the  sputtering  of  the  burning 
incense,  and  the  monotonous  tone  of  the  priests  at  prayers,  mingle  ^vitll 
softening  influence  on  the  ripple  of  laughter  rising  from  the  light-hearted 
crowd  surging  to  and  fro,  the  chatter  of  monkeys,  the  cries  of  showmen, 
the  song  of  birds,  and  the  witty  saymgs  of  pretty  girls.  The  whole  creates 
a  peculiar  and  not  unhappy  medley  where  the  followers  of  religious  faith 
do  so  with  open  hearts,  and  attempt  no  vain  show  of  pretence  of  under- 
standing what  of  necessity  they  cannot  know,  laying  their  very  souls,  and 
not  the  mockery  of  a  form,  at  the  feet  of  a  deity  before  which  they  bow 
in  honest  if  in  blind  adoration. 

So  far,  Buddhism  has  met  with  no  distressing  opposition ;  but  now  we 
come  to  its  first  great  reverse.  Until  the  capital  was  established  at  Kyoto, 
Shinto  had  absolute  sway  at  the  court  of  the  ruling  power.  At  this  time 
Buddhism  established  a  foothold,  wliich  made  it  a  growing,  if  not  a  dan- 
gerous, rival.  Still  it  was  not  recognised  by  the  state,  and  its  patrons 
were  given  no  special  privileges,  until  the  triumph  of  lyeyasu  led  the  sho- 
guns  to  look  with  increasing  favour  on  the  new  faith.  Under  lemitsu, 
the  third  of  the  Tokugawa  d^niast}^,  the  state  stepped  in  to  exercise  con- 
trol over  religious  affairs,  and  the  priests  of  Buddha  were  compelled  to 
yield,  and  the  teacher  and  scholar  became  neither.  Once  noted  for  his  zeal 
the  priest  seemed  to  have  lost  all  ambition  and  character.  He  did  little, 
if  anything,  toward  advancing  the  cause  he  represented,  not  even  consid- 


JAI'AX. 


499 


ering  it  a  part  of  his  duty  to  administer  solace  to  the  ill  and  suffering ; 
nor  did  he  offer  any  hopeful  message  to  the  dying.  Once  a  year,  at  the 
great  Bon  festival,  when  the  spirits  of  the  dead  were  supposed  to  return 
for  a  short  time  to  their  former  homes  on  earth,  he  was  arousi-d  from  his 
lethargy  enough  to  minister  to  his  subjects,  spurred  on  tlien  by  the 
thought  of  the  recompense  coming  to  him  at  this  time,  when  a  large 
percentage  of  his  revenue  was  paid  him.  In  view  of  this  state  of  mind 
on  the  part  of  the 
leader,  it  can  be  no 
wonder  if  the  spirit 
of  religion  waned. 

In  the  midst  of 
this  slow  decline, 
when  the  doom  of 
Buddhism  seemed 
foreordained,  the 
missionary  from 
the  Western  world 
came  to  crush  out 
this  lotua  plant. 
But  antagonism 
proved  the  means 
of  awakening  Bud- 
dhism from  its  be- 
numbing sleep. 
New  life  was 
quickh-  infused 
into  the  old  faith, 
and  .>*chools  were  establi.shed  to  educate  its  jiriests,  who  had  too  long 
been  suffered  to  rest  in  ignorance.  Thus  the  old  religion  was  revivified 
and  given  new  life  by  a  rival.  So  the  sui)porter3  of  this  ancient  faith, 
hnported  hither  from  India  by  the  way  of  Corea  about  six  hiiiidnil  years 
after  the  birth  of  Christ,  are  making  earnest  efforts  to  give  greater  power 
to  their  religion.  New  and  imposing  temples  are  being  built,  when'  art 
and  nature  coml)ine  at  tiicir  liest  to  make  them  attractive.  IVoplo  from 
over    the    country  are  contributing  to  their  support,  and  an  example  of 


DANCIXIi-lilltl..    TOKYO. 


490 


THE    FAR   EAST. 


their  liberality  is  the  offering  of  women's  hair  from  those  who  are  too  poor 
to  contribute  money.  To  understand  the  sacrifice  made  by  these  donors, 
one  must  know  the  high  value  placed  on  a  head  of  good  hair  in  Japan, 
where  these  ornaments  are  none  too  jjlentiful,  and  where  the  fair  sex  wear 
no  covering  for  their  heads  which  might  conceal  their  loss  until  the  shorn 
tresses  have  grown  again.  It  means  six  months  of  retirement ;  six  months 
of  seclusion.  Here  in  Kyoto  is  a  temple  built  in  1895  bj-  the  disciples 
of  the  sect  of  Monto,  which  cost  in  its  construction  over  8,000,000  yen. 


TlIK    SA<_i4KIJ    ItUAU. 


The  cables,  used  to  draw  the  huge  timben,  were  made  of  women's  hair, 
and  there  is  a  gift  here  by  the  women  of  one  province,  of  a  huge  rope  of 
hair  nearly  three  hundred  feet  in  length. 

During  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when  the  tidal  wave 
of  ancient  tradition  swept  over  the  country,  an  attempt  was  made  to 
drown  out  the  tenets  of  Buddhism  and  Confucianism.  This  had  much 
to  do  with  the  political  revolution  of  1867.  The  Buddhist  temples  were 
shorn  of  their  rich  appendages,  and  religion  suffered  the  loss  of  vast 
estates  belonging  to  it.  But  it  was  too  deeply  engrafted  into  the  beliefs 
and    inspirations  of  the  people  to  be  uorooted  by  official  and  political 


JAPAN. 


491 


interposition.  It  soon  began  to  reassert  its  fallen  prestige,  and  by  the 
Constitution  of  1869  it  was  firmly  declared  that  Japanese  subjects  should 
be  free  to  enjoy  religious  belief  according  to  their  wislies. 

Buddhism  has  never  been  more  thoroughly  ali\e  in  Dai  Nippon  than  it 
is  at  the  present 
time.  It  has  108,- 
000  temples  in 
Japan,  and  fifty-five 
thousand  priests. 
These  last,  unlike 
the  Shinto,  have  no 
oflicial  rank, neither 
are  their  temples 
classified.  They 
obtain  their  means 
of  sustenance 
from  c  o  n  t  r  i  h  u  - 
tions  paid  by  their 
parishioners,  and 
from  the  income 
derived  from  lands 
belonging  to  relig- 
ious organisations. 
This  last  source  of 
revenue  was  greatly 
reduced  when  gov- 
ernment took  away 
a  large  portion  of 
this  landed  iiroj)- 
erty. 

No  native-born  Christian  has  risen  to  the  jmsitiun  of  prelate,  though 
ihere  are  several  bishops  and  archdeacons  l)elonging  t<j  the  Protestant 
ind  Catholic  faiths  who  were  born  in  America  or  Europe,  while  there  is 
an  archbishop  of  European  birth.  The  Japanese  churches  are  represented 
by  pastors  of  their  own  nationality,  and  these  are  in  duty  bound  to  attend 
the  ceremonies  given  by  the  imperial  direction  at  the  Hall  of  Kcverence. 


SillNTU    ritlEST. 


492 


THE    FAK    EAST. 


The  Christian  portion  of  the  jijopulation,  as  might  be  expected,  fail  to 
participate  in  the  religious  rites  which  the  followers  of  the  ancient  relig- 
ions hold  to  be  important. 

Of  late  the  Shinto  has  made  rapid  strides  toward  tlie  belief  in  one  god, 
and  Amaterasu  is  worshipped  as  that  supreme  divinity,  while  the  imperial 
family  are  looked  upon  as  her  descendants,  and  treated  as  under-deities. 
This  religion  remains  the  creed  of  the  royal  house,  based  upon  the  follow- 
ing statement,  which  gives  in  unmistakable  terms  the  standing  of  that 
line :  "  The  imperial  founder  of  our  house,  and  our  other  imperial  ances- 
tors, by  the  help  and  support  of  the  forefathers  of  our  subjects,  laid  the 
foundation  of  our  empire  upon  a  basis  which  is  to  last  for  ever.  That  this 
brilliant  achievement  embellishes  the  aimals  of  our  country  is  due  to  the 
glorious  virtues  of  our  sacred  imperial  ancestors  and  to  the  lovalty  and 
bravery  of  our  subjects,  their  love  of  country,  and  public  spirit."  To  many, 
it  will  not  be  a  startling  discovery  to  find  that  Buddhist  priests  assist  in 
this  Shinto  worship,  since  it  has  been  shown  that  the  representatives 
of  the  former  religion  have  declared  Buddha  to  be  a  reincarnation  of 
A.materasu. 


VILLAGE    FESTIVAL. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


REI.KJIOr.S    FESTIVALS. 


JAPAN  denies  herself  the  rest  and  religious  exercises  of  Sunday  as 
taiiirlit  hy  the  Protestant  Church,  but  she  has  many  sacred  ol)serv- 
aiices  and  traditional  festivals  regarded  by  her  people  as  acts  of  wor- 
sliij).  Until  recently,  Church  and  state  joined  hand  in  hand  in  these 
ceremonies.  But  modern  Japan  has  broken  the  rule  of  ancient  Japan. 
In  other  respects  the  situation  has  not  changed,  except  to  modify  in  a 
.slight  degree  the  manner  of  oKservance.  In  all  ages  the  people  have 
held  to  the  bright  side  of  the  picture,  attempting  to  please  the  gods  by 
the  sunshine  of  light  hearts  rather  tiian  by  the  clouds  of  a  devotion  made 
in  sackcloth  and  a.shes. 

This  form  of  worship,  however,  has  always  contained  a  certain  amount 
of  evil,  on  account  of  the  lack  of  restraint  allowed  by  the  devotees.  Thus, 
more  than  a  thousand  years  ago,  olKcial  interposition  hail  to  be  made  in 
tlie  sen)i-annual  festivals  of  the  North  Star  to  hold  in  check  the  prodigal 
display  of  the  lower  sentiments  of  the  religious  followers,  lest  the  very 
gods  be  offended  at  the  low  scale  of  morality  \inder  which  their  believers 

41>3 


494  THE    FAIl    EAST. 

worshipped.  The  effect  of  this  intervention  was  not  lasting,  for  a  httle 
over  a  hundred  years  later  official  intervention  had  to  be  made  in  the 
very  capital  of  the  nation  to  moderate,  if  not  control,  the  wild  passions 
of  the  overzealous  performers,  whose  ungovernable  claims  of  the  body 
outweighed  their  spiritual  inspiration.  To-day  we  discover  evidence  of 
this  human  weakness  where  we  had  hoped  to  find  a  stronger  sentiment 
prevailing,  and  even  at  the  sacred  groves  of  Ise,  within  sight  of  the  gods 
and  goddesses  of  religious  renown,  stands  the  Temple  of  Temptation,  with 
doors  wide  open  to  those  who  would  enter. 

Religious  festivals  are  the  most  striking  features  of  native  life,  and 
mirror  the  very  soul  of  Japan.  The  most  imiaortant  fete  of  this  kind  is 
the  Gion-matsuri,  held  annually  in  Kyoto,  which  it  is  our  good  fortune 
to  see.  The  most  important  distinction  of  this,  like  many  another,  is  the 
magnificence  of  its  pageantry.  The  foremost  daslii,  or  car,  carries  upon 
the  top  of  a  mighty  upright,  rising  a  hundred  feet  into  the  air,  a  glaive 
forged  from  the  ;^Gharmed  anvil  of  the  wonderful  sword-maker,  Sanjo 
Munechika,  and  credited  with  possessing  the  virtue  of  curing  the  ague  at 
a  single  touch  of  its  blade.  Behind  this  dashi  follow  twenty-three  cars, 
bearing  the  effigies  of  as  many  noted  scholars  and  j^hilosophers,  a  mock 
moon,  a  mantis,  and  a  stealer  of  flowers.  One  of  the  most  prominent  per- 
sonages of  this  elaborate  procession  is  a  dancing-girl,  who  postures  in  the 
centre  of  the  dais  on  the  foremost  da.shi.  Upon  her  the  city  has  lavished 
its  richest  and  finest  display  of  clothing,  nothing  considered  too  good  or 
beautiful.  She  is  accompanied  by  a  maid  of  honour  on  either  side,  though 
they  reap  small  share  of  the  glory  showered  upon  the  car.  Upon  reach- 
ing the  portals  of  the  temple  of  Gion,  the  "  little  goddess  "  is  given  a  glass 
of  holy  wine,  and  an  amulet  supposed  to  have  l)een  blessed  by  the  god, 
whereupon  she  at  once  Ijecomes  a  "  sacred  child." 

Each  special  district,  at  the  time  of  its  matsuri,  or  festival,  given  in 
honour  of  some  particular  deity  whose  shrine  has  been  reared  in  that 
place,  feels  at  liberty  to  worship  as  manj"  other  deities  as  it  likes.  Thus 
these  fetes  are  often  marked  with  a  singular  mixture  or  combination  of 
divinities,  summoned  at  the  will  of  the  people  from  the  mystic  fountains 
of  the  material  and  spiritual  world. 

Each  of  these  deities  is  allowed  a  separate  palanquin,  a  shrine  on 
wheels,  the  principal  god  being  given  the  place  of  honour  at  the  head  of 


jinrikishas 


JAPAN. 


4!»rj 


the  sacred  van.  The  carriage  is  hicquered  a  deep  black,  relieved  by 
golden  ornaments.  On  the  roof  a  golden  phenix  perches  with  wings 
outspread,  while  a  roof-tree  glistens  in  decorations  of  copper.  Inside  this 
slirine  is  placed  the  effigy  of  the  god  who  calls  forth  this  train,  a  torii  in 
front  and  one  behind,  made  conspicuous  by  their  red  lacquer.  The  otlier 
deities  are  not  placed  inside  the  car,  but  mounted  in  gorgeous  panoply 
high  over  the  heads  of  the  crowd  riding  upon  it.  The  first  car  is  not 
decorated,  but  this  one,  called  the  dashi,  "■  a  car  of  gentle  motion,"  can  be 


KUTA    AXl>    .SAMSIX    PLATERS. 


described  as  a  wooden  house  on  four  wheels,  but  having  a  mass  of  carving, 
decoration,  and  elaboration  tliat  defies  description.  An  attempt  of  tlii.s 
kind  WMulil  lie  useless,  as  far  as  concerned  its  representation  of  a  class,  for 
no  two  of  these  strange  cars  are  ever  made  alike.  The  carvings  on  this 
one  represent,  in  part,  flights  of  phenixes  rising  on  wide-spreading  wing.s, 
trains  of  tortoises,  and  cohnnns  of  marching  dragons.  Among  the  deities 
included  are  to  be  seen  the  zodiacal  conceptions,  the  goddess  of  matriiimny, 
the  goddess  of  the  sea,  the  seven  gods  of  fortune,  the  conquering  empress ; 
in  fact,  the  deities  supposed  tfj  govern  every  trade  and  craft  which  most 
affects  tliat    particular    locality.     On    a  platform   raised   fiimi    twelve    to 


496  THE    FAli    EAST. 

twenty  feet  above  the  ground,  encircled  and  entangled  amid  the  drapery 
of  silk  and  brilliant  brocades,  snow-white  gohei,  and  wreaths  of  gold  and 
silver  flowers,  stand  half  a  hundred  people,  while  over  their  heads  rises, 
on  a  high  pillar,  the  carved  head  of  the  sacred  object  to  which  the  car 
has  been  dedicated. 

The  host  of  images,  and  the  dashi  on  which  they  are  transported,  are 
kept  in  the  dwellings  of  chosen  citizens  and  it  is,  perhaps,  needless  to  say 
that  they  are  watched  over  with  zealous  care.  Not  one  of  these  objects 
is  without  its  special  interest  as  well  as  personality,  and  every  bit  of  his- 
tory connected  with  it  is  known  to  its  guardian,  who  relates  it  with  great 
pride  and  piety.  As  may  be  imagined,  these  festivals  scintillate  with 
romance  and  tradition.  Not  one  is  barren  of  some  wonder  tale,  some 
strange  and  interesting  incident  connected  with  its  career,  and  the 
occasion  of  the  fete  is  regarded  as  a  day  of  uncommon  importance  in 
the  annals  of  the  place.  But  along  with  the  crumbling  of  the  institu- 
tions of  old  Japauy  the  glory  of  these  festivals  is  gradually  wearing  away, 
and  in  the  light  of  modern  thought  and  enterprise  will  soon  live  only  in 
memory. 

Perhaps  our  Japanese  companion  is  thinking  of  this,  and  vividly  con- 
trasting the  old  way  with  the  new,  for  he  suddenly  bursts  forth  into  a 
strain  of  eloquence  over  a  description  of  one  of  the  famous  Sano  trains 
as  it  wound  through  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  streets  constituting  that 
parish  not  so  very  long  ago.  Preparations  were  begun  for  the  festival  by 
the  citizens  two  days  before  the  grand  event  came  off,  when  the  dwell- 
ings were  made  as  gay  and  attractive  as  possible  by  many-coloured  mats 
thrown  over  corner,  lattice,  and  lintel ;  in  fact,  every  spot  where  a  show 
could  be  made.  The  tops  of  the  buildings  were  made  as  good  sites  for 
watching  the  procession  as  possible.  The  rooms  of  the  houses  that  fronted 
upon  the  street  were  fitted  up  with  screens  of  gold-foil  for  a  background, 
and  from  poles  hung  up,  and  from  the  eaves  of  the  buildings,  were  hung 
paper  lanterns  of  bright  hues  and  fantastic  paintings.  Everywhere  no 
pains  were  spa''ed  to  enliven  the  coming  event  with  the  grandest  display 
that  could  be  made. 

The  dashi  was  drawn  by  six  black  oxen  decorated  in  red  and  white, 
and  moving  with  becoming  slowness,  stopping  at  frequent  intervals.  At 
these  pauses  the  music  of  flutes  and  drums  filled  the  air,  while  the  merry 


I 


.lATAN. 


497 


spectators  applauded  roundly.  When  moving,  the  chant  of  the  dashi 
drivers  kept  time  in  a  sort  of  rhythmical  order  in  keeping  with  the 
decorous  advance  of  the  train. 

The  procession  was  led  by  two  small  ami  two  large  banners,  or  hata, 
made  of  .strips  uf  white  cotton  cloth  strung  from  bamboo  poles,  and  bear- 
ing the  names  of  the  tutelar}'  deities.  The  carriers  of  these  were  followed 
by  a  spearman,  a  dozen  men  carrying  a  big  drum,  two  men  with  wooden 
blocks,  which  they  smote  together  at  regular  intervals,  two   men   with 


A    PAI.AXlil  I.S. 


flutes,  twenty-four  men  bearing  above  their  heads  the  image  of  the  sacred 
S/iishi-no  Kfis/iira.  or  Dog  of  Fo,  a  inounted  Shinto  priest,  thirty-two  men 
carrying  three  heavy  spe;irs,  another  pfiest  on  horseljack,  the  sacred  steeds 
of  tiie  gods,  a  sacred  sword,  three  inomited  Shinto  ])rie.sts,  the  guards  of 
the  shrine,  a  couple  of  musicians  disguised  with  masks  of  the  Tengii.  or 
forest  genii,  fifty  men  bearing  the  saired  ])alani|uin,  two  men  with  the 
rice-box  of  the  ])rinci])al  deity.  si,\  men  bearing  the  bancpiet  Uible  of  the 
deity,  half  a  dozen  attendants  on  tlie  shrine,  liody  (if  pruminent  citizens 
in  costumes  bi'littiii','  the  occasion,  thirty  inferior  Shinto  priests  in  sacer- 
dotiil  costume,  two  men  carrying  the  gohei  (an  emblem  of  Sbintoisin  u.sed 


498  THE   FAR   EAST. 

in  the  temples),  a  young  girl  attired  in  attractive  costume  and  riding 
in  a  richly  decorated  palanquin,  two  men  with  hyoshigi,  a  second  palan- 
quin borne  by  fifty  men,  followed  by  the  same  retinue  as  the  first ; 
a  third  palanquin  carried  by  fifty  men,  and  succeeded  by  attendants 
with  rice-box  of  the  deity,  table  of  the  deity  borne  by  six  men, 
mounted  Shinto  priest,  ten  Buddhist  priests  in  armour  and  riding 
war-steeds,  the  Lord  High  Ablaot  in  canonicals,  riding  in  a  palanquin, 
the  four-doored  palanquin  of  the  deity,  ox-carriage  of  the  god,  spears- 
men,  and  glaivesmen,  followed  by  vast  crowds  of  people  ready  to  pull 
or  push  on  any  of  the  carriages,  to  shout  or  sing,  as  the  occasion  might 
demand. 

Alternating  with  the  Sano  festival  is  that  of  the  Kanda,  which  occupies 
the  attention  of  the  capital  city  for  nearly  a  month.  This  is  considered 
of  greater  consequence  than  the  other,  and  greater  preparations  are  made 
for  it.  With  the  gorgeous  display,  a  generous  amount  of  food  and  drink 
is  furnished,  the  national  beverage,  sake,  being  freely  offered.  But  the 
main  feature  is  the  dress.  The  }'Oung  daughters  of  the  city  are  decked 
out  in  most  elaborate  manner,  without  regard  to  cost,  the  one  object  in 
view  being  to  outshine  any  previous  attempt  of  that  kind.  A  prominent 
feature  of  the  Kanda  matsura  is  a  bevy  of  geisha,  dancers,  who  follow 
the  procession  and  exhibit  from  time  to  time  examples  of  their  art  in 
ancient  dances,  which  consists  principally  of  waving  the  hands  in  a  most 
graceful  manner.  It  must  seem  strange  to  the  foreign  observer  to  see 
these  dainty,  pretty  little  maids  dressed,  not  in  the  bright  costumes  that 
it  vi^ould  be  natural  to  exnect  on  this  festive  occasion,  but  in  the  som- 
bre hued,  and  unbecoming  garments  of  the  common  labourer,  the  tighv- 
legged  trousers  and  small-sleeved  tunic.  The  dancing-girl  has  sacrificed 
her  glossy  raven  hair,  imitating  in  this  part  the  fashion  of  her  brother. 
But  here  she  stops,  and  the  plainness  and  darkness  of  her  garb  is  con- 
cealed beneath  fairy  grounds  of  embroidered  blossoms  and  foliage,  in  the 
brightest  colours  of  nature.  So  while  she  sacrifices  something  for  her 
religion,  she  gains  much  in  display,  and  a  surfeit  of  applause  from  her 
admirers.  And  somewhere  in  that  vast  crowd  of  seekers  after  pleasure 
and  religion  is  one  who  has  perhaps  spent  half  of  his  year's  earnings 
that  she  may  win  the  honours  of  this  fete.  He  is,  moreover,  willing  to 
spend  another  six  months'  wages  that  she  may  remain  in  indolence  until 


JAPAN. 


490 


tlio.se  sacrificed  tresses  shall  again  become  a  respectful  adorniueut  fur  her 
shapely  head. 

The  more  prominent  deity  worshipped  in  this  festival  is  a  descendant 
of  the  sun-goddess,  but  there  is  another  who  shares  its  glory  whose  name, 
according  to  the  moral  code  of  any  other  country,  would  seem  to  invite 
oblivion  and  obloquy  rather  than  this  respectable  prominence.  He  was 
an  arch-traitor  to  a  ruling  sovereign  of  Japan  in  the  sixth  century,  the 
only  man  in  the  history-  of  the  country  to  imdertake  a  rebellion  against 


his  rult'r.  Ik'  paid  ftjr  his  rebellious  ambition  with  bis  life  on  the  j)lain3 
of  Sininiosa,  d\ing  in  tiie  midst  of  battle,  and  his  head  was  taken  in  wild 
exultation  to  Kanda  for  interment.  Later,  the  stigma  belonging  to  his 
memory  was  sup])lanted  \)y  loud  praises,  and  his  efligy  was  borne  with 
divine  honours  at  the  festival  of  Kanda.  Why  was  this  done  ?  Do  the 
Japanese  love  treachery,  that  they  would  deify  such  a  man,  and  hold  him 
up  as  an  ol)je('t  of  divine  adoraticm  ?  Xo.  It  is  not  because  of  this;  but 
it  is  done  as  an  expression  for  their  love  of  heroism.  If  Massakado,  the 
rebel,  died  as  a  traitor,  he  fell  lighting  like  a  hero.  It  is  the  liravery  of 
that  undaunted  spirit,  which  dared  defy  his  very  sovereign,  that  afforded 


500 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


an  example  of  heroism  which,  they  -worsliip ;  not  Massakado,  whose  name 
is  ahhoiTed  and  detested. 

There  is  another  example  of  this  kind  at  Sano,  where  a  deity  is  held 
up  for  admiration  and  honour,  whose  very  name  is  covered  with  shame 
and  ignominy.  This  is  Kumassaka  Chohan,  burglar  of  ancient  times,  but 
a  man  of  such  audacious  recklessness  that  his  effigy  is  held  in  religious 
veneration,  and  his  bravery  extolled  in  song  and  story  and  religiuus  rites. 
It   will   thus   be  seen   that  the  Japanese  possess  such    a   high   sense  of 


A<  Kill    liKTREAT. 


courage  —  an  attribute  we  are  not  prepared  really  to  understand  —  that 
they  can  overlook  the  low-born  nature  of  the  hero  while  they  worship 
that  divine  spark  of  heroism  inherent  in  him. 

A  case  of  this  kind  has  had  a  more  recent  origin.  In  1889  the  Viscount 
Mori,  minister  of  education,  and  one  of  Japan's  most  enlightened  states- 
men, was  stabbed  by  a  young  man  on  the  steps  of  his  home,  in  sight  of  a 
crowd  of  people,  just  as  he  was  starting  on  his  way  to  the  palace  on  that 
occasion  which  was  to  witness  the  acceptance  of  the  nation's  first  Consti- 
tution. Scarcely  had  the  assassin  struck  his  terrible  blow  before  he  fell, 
pierced  by  the  swords  of  half  a  dozen  f)f  the  minister's  attendants.     The 


JAl'AN. 


501 


body  of  the  murderer  was  buried  without  ceremony,  and  it  seemed  that  lus 
memory  would  be  speedily  relegated  to  the  caverns  of  obloquy.  But  soon 
after,  in  reply  to  the  inquiry-  set  afoot  as  to  what  had  led  the  rash  youth 
to  commit  such  a  flagrant  crime,  under  sucli  daring  circumstances,  and  at 
a  time  of  such  approaching  honours,  it  was  said  he  had  been  prouipted 
to  the  act  under  the  fanatical  belief  that  he  was  the  chosen  agent  to 
avenge   what  he   considered  an  insult  committed  at  the  great  shrine    of 


UlIKAT    sTU.NE     LANlll:\.     ^  i  .K  .  iir  v  \1  \. 


Is<i  liy  tlie  pnjminent  statesman.  Tiie  irreverence  of  the  minister  may 
have  been  only  the  wild  imagination  of  the  overzealous  murderer,  but 
the  circumst^mces  under  which  he  dared  t(j  strike  his  blow  of  vengeance, 
the  time,  the  vast  ninnber  of  witnesses,  and  the  certainty  that  he  nnist 
pay  for  it  with  his  life,  fired  the  Japanese  witli  a  religions  veneration  for 
the  heroic  deed  of  the  avenger.  His  burial-place  was  disclosed,  and  his 
grave  no  hjnger  remained  a  secret  corner;  the  crowds  flocked  to  it  as  a 
sacred  sjwt,  tlie  smoke  of  incense  floated  over  it,  and  tin*  hallowed  ])laee 
became  a  garden  of  flowers.     Hither  flocked  the  high  and  low,  the  artisan 


502,  THE    FAIl    EAST. 

and  the  actor,  tlie  farmer  and  the  merchant,  the  geisha  and  the  wrestler, 
the  fencing-master  and  the  warrior,  the  priest  and  the  politician,  one  and 
all.  By  this  it  must  not  be  understood  that  the  masses  Avere  ignorant  of 
the  real  signification  that  might  be  given  to  this.  A  word  from  the  em- 
peror would  have  mstantly  stopped  it  all,  and  the  mob  would  have  as 
quickly  turned  upon  him  who  dared  to  render  further  homage  to  the  dead. 
It  was  not  hero-worship,  as  we  bestow  it ;  it  was  tlie  valour  of  the  doer, 
the  picturesque  daring  which  had  caused  an  educated  youth,  with  bright 
prospects  in  life,  to  ignore  them  all,  and,  under  the  unselfish  motives  of 
religious  duty,  to  seek  his  victim  in  broad  daylight,  at  his  very  home,  siir- 
rounded  by  his  armed  retainers,  and  in  the  presence  of  soldiery  and  police 
and  citizens  to  deal  the  most  influential  man  in  the  empire,  next  to  the 
emperor,  his  death-blow,  which  placed  him  among  the  deities.  Had  he 
struck  that  blow  in  the  dark,  as  a  coward  strikes,  or  sought  to  cover 
himself  from  death  by  flight,  it  would  have  been  diiferent,  and  the  name 
of  Nishino  Buntaro  would  have  lived  only  in  tlie  calendar  of  crime. 

Speaking  of  the  shrine  of  Ise,  we  are  reminded  here  of  the  perpetual 
fire  of  Hestia  kept  burning  two  thousand  years  in  the  Grecian  prytaneum, 
and  find  that  the  stone  lanterns  of  this  place  have  been  sending  forth 
their  continuous  flames  of  light  since  the  early  days  of  the  gods,  a  period 
of  nearly  three  thousand  years.  Another  shrine  that  outrivals  the  record 
of  Greece  in  this  respect  is  that  in  Izumo. 


S 


A     IKA-IH>|.|      I.I 


CHAriER  XXI. 

THE    PINE    OF   THE   LOVERS. 

AWAY  from  the  centres  of  population  the  reHgious  festivals  often 
partake  of  singular  features,  and  common  objects  are  frequently 
made  the  subject  of  desire  or  adoration.  In  the  province  of  Omi 
is  a  form  of  worship  intended  to  encourage  fidelity  in  married  women. 
This  takes  place  in  the  month  of  April,  on  "  the  first  day  of  the  horse." 
In  Japan  the  faithful  wife  is  a  person  of  high  esteem,  and  it  is  the  aim 
of  the  truly  conscientious  woman  not  only  to  be  true  to  the  marital 
bonds,  but  to  keep  the  memory  of  her  husband  after  his  death  by  remain- 
ing in  the  single  stiite.  By  being  faithful  in  the  marital  bonds  it  is  not 
to  be  understood  to  be  merely  faithful  in  outward  appearances,  l)nt  for 
her  to  adapt  her.self  to  the  whims,  caprices,  and  temper  of  her  husltand, 
though  he  is  not  expected  to  do  as  much  on  his  part.  When  it  is  taken 
into  consideration  that  the  wife  assumes  these  vows  without  any  previous 
acquaintance  with  her  future  master,  something  of  the  responsibility  she 
takes  upon  herself  may  be  imagined.  It  might  be  thought  that  man}'  of 
them  would  shirk  this  exacting  and  trying  part,  but  it  belongs  to  woman's 
glory  to  be  married  once,  and  to  show  to  the  world  lur  faitlifulinss  in 
conjugal  life.  On  these  festivals  mentioned,  the  wives  and  widows  are 
expected  to  parade  themselves  before  the  public,  carrying  ujion  their 
heads  as  many  earthenware  pots  as  they  have  had  husbands,  the  fewer 
the  greater  the  honour.  One  might  conclude  that  they  would  hesitate  in 
thus  publicly  proclaiming  their  record,  for  in  Japan  marriage  and  divorce 
are  close  companions,  but  they  have  another  motive  in  view.  This  is  tlie 
belief,  that  the  goddess  of  matrimony  will  puni.sh  any  insincerity,  which 
prompts  them  to  carry  the  full  nimiber  of  pots,  let  the  tongues  of  the 
gossipers  wag  as  they  may.  There  is  a  legend  that  one  woman,  more 
crafty  than  wise,  managed  to  have  her  pots  graduated  in  size,  so  that, 
while  their  number  was  not  small,  she  presented  the  appearance  of  carrving 
but  one.     As  is  often   the  ca.se  with  such  triflers,  slie  was  ovcrt.ikt'u   in 


504 


THE    FAli    EAST. 


her  deception,  for  she  tripped  and  fL-ll.  Avlien  her  trne  character  was  shown, 
to  lier  lasting  disgrace. 

In  tile  ])rovince  of  Kisliu  there  has  been  and  is  to-day,  among  the  more 
superstitious,  the  belief  that  all  the  deities  repair  every  year  in  the  tenth 

month  to  hold  a 
festival  of  rejoic- 
ing, which  is  called 
the  '•  lausrhins;  fes- 
tival."  This  takes 
place  at  the  great 
shrine  of  Izumo, 
and  the  period  is 
known  elsewhere, 
on  account  of  the 
fact  that  all  the 
gods  gather  here  to 
the  neglect  of  their 
usual  duties,  as 
"  the  month  of  the 
godless  moon." 
Here  and  then, 
amid  a  scene  of  im- 
common  mirth,  are 
arranged  the  nup- 
tial plans  for  the 
coming  year.  The 
name  and  peculiar 
signification  of  this 
festiA-al  originated 
with  the  incident 
of  a  belated  god.  One  of  those  who  was  to  meet  there,  in  the  days  of 
yore,  started  in  season,  but,  mistaking  the  date,  and  thinking  he  had  more 
than  ample  time  to  reach  the  sacred  place,  dallied  by  the  way,  so  he  did 
not  arrive  until  the  last  debate  was  over  and  the  exercises  closed.  It  is 
supposed  the  other  deities  laughed  long  and  heartily  over  the  discomfiture 
of  their  comrade,  and  thus  the  fashion  of  the  festival  was  set  for  all  time. 


OIKEAN    GIRL. 


•lAI'AX.  505 

Tlie  manner  of  observing  this  divine  parliament  is  quaint.  As  the  time 
draws  near,  old  and  young  collect,  the  latter  forming  in  front  of  the  pro- 
cession, the  others  falling  into  line  in  the  order  of  their  ages,  each  one, 
from  the  first  to  the  last,  carrying  two  boxes  of  oranges  and  persimmons 
held  aloft  on  bamboo  sticks.  Ui)on  reaching  the  shrine,  the  march  hav- 
ing been  made  with  proper  solemnity,  the  children  are  commanded  by  the 
eldest  man  to  lauijh.  No  sooner  has  the  first  child  started  the  j^lee  than 
others  catch  up  the  merriment,  the  men  following  the  example,  until,  the 
entire  train  keeping  up  the  merrymaking,  the  whole  district  rings  with 
the  laughter  of  the  occasion.  In  this  way  it  is  believed  the  gods  like 
to  have  their  people  meet  and  make  merry,  as  well  as  to  bear  cheer- 
fully the  heavy  cares  of  life. 

Other  festivals  follow  various  methods  of  proceeding,  and  among  these 
athletic  competition  is  held  in  high  favoui-.  Here  in  Kyoto  we  have  seen 
the  annual  wrestling  tournament,  which  decides  the  national  champion- 
ship as  to  muscular  strength  and  skill.  In  the  Ugo  Province  stands  a 
shrine  of  this  nature,  where  regularly,  on  the  fifth  day  of  the  first  month, 
the  athletes  of  the  province,  often  to  the  number  of  thousands,  used  to 
gather  to  decide  the  mettle  of  their  arn)s  and  bodies.  As  this  spot  was 
situated  at  the  top  of  the  mountain  of  Kinipo-zan,  where  at  that  season 
the  snow  lay  to  the  depth  of  a  dozen  feet,  and  often  deeper,  it  was  no 
small  part  of  the  undertaking  to  reach  the  scene  of  the  trial.  It  was 
expected  that  the  rivals  should  all  repair  to  a  snow-cave  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  distant  the  night  before  the  trial.  At  the  break  of  dawn,  stripped 
to  their  loin-cloths,  they  were  expected  to  rush  from  the  rendezvous  to 
see  who  could  reach  the  shrine  first.  This  victor,  who  won  oiilv  after 
a  stern  race  up  the  snowbound  cliffs,  was  sujiposed  to  be  favoured  with 
the  protection  of  the  god  throughout  the  year.  Following  this  race,  the 
whole  party  got  as  near  to  the  shrine  as  possible,  when  the  great  wrestling 
trial  began.  The  object  was  really  not  to  see  who  .should  remain  the 
longest  on  his  feet,  but  rather  to  oust  one  after  another  out  of  the  en- 
closure. As  fast  as  the  sjjace  was  partly  cleared,  newcomers,  who  had 
been  behind  in  the  race  to  the  summit,  joined  in,  it  being  the  rule  for  the 
strongest  to  aid  the  weakest.  The  excitement  and  confusion  of  this  wild 
sport,  in  which  several  thousands  joined,  may  be  well  imagined,  but  aci'ord- 
ing  to  legend  no  one  was  ever  seriously  injured  in  the  melees.     This  i.s 


506 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


accounted  for  mainly  by  the  utmost  good-feeling  which,  prevailed  through- 
out the  whole  affair,  until  the  last  man,  the  champion  of  the  year,  was 
left  alone  on  the  sacred  ground.  Then  he  was  caught  up  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  his  companions,  and  bearing  him  thus  the  entire  crowd  marched 
down  the  mountain  in  good  order,  singing  and  shouting  as  they  moved 
along. 

A  festival  is  given  at  Ono-machi  in  honour  of  the  Susa-no-o,  that  high- 
tempered  god  who  drove  his  sister  into  one  of  the  caverns  of  the  earth. 


I 


A    WRESTLING    .MATCH. 


This  ceremony  does  not  call  for  any  regal  processions,  any  elaborately 
carved  and  decorated  dashi,  or  artistically  dressed  dancing-maidens,  but 
is  performed  by  a  band  of  lusty  men  dragging  the  chariot  along  the  road 
at  a  furious  pace.  Upon  reaching  the  seashore,  they  plunge  in  breast- 
deep,  holding  above  the  briny  tide  their  burden;  then  they  rush  back 
to  the  shrine  at  the  top  of  their  speed.  Should  any  one  fall  by  the 
way,  there  is  another  to  take  his  place,  every  one  running  and  striving 
as  if  his  life  depended  on  his  activity.  Once  the  shrine  is  reached, 
all  this  wild  tumult  instantly  ceases;  the  horde  that  a  moment  before 
seemed   so   anxious    to    rend    each    other  to  pieces  in  the  mad  struggle 


JAPAN. 


507 


now    chat    and    drink   as   if   dull   care    and    strife    were    unknown    to 
them. 

Other  objects  at  other  shrines  are  as  zealously  catered  to  in  the  wild 
fashion  of  the  people.  At  Hakozaki  is  the  shrine  of  the  "  god  of  war," 
where  it  is  believed  the  bountiful  offerings  made  in  the  thirteenth  century 
caused  that  god  to  raise  a  storm  on  the  sea,  which  destroyed  the  power- 


BKUMZE    IIOKSK. 


ful  armada  of  the  Monguls,  then  on  its  way  to  conquer  the  country  of 
Dai  Nippon. 

At  the  temple  of  Kwannon  a  scrabble  for  pieces  of  wood  thrown  to 
the  multitude  by  the  priests  is  made  in  commemoration  of  the  "goddess 
of  mercy."  This  is  at  Saidai-ji,  in  the  province  of  Bizen.  These  blocks 
are  not  credited  with  any  supernatural  attributes,  but  are  emblematical 
of  the  benevolence  of  the  giver.  As  it  is  considered  of  importance  to  get 
one  of  these  annilets,  the  rush  for  them  grew  from  year  to  year,  until  it 
became  neces.sary  to  limit  the  number  of  the  rivals.  Again  athletic  exer- 
cises were  resorted  to  in  order  to  regulate  the  matter.  So  everything  is 
arranged  to  open  at  a  specified  time. 

At  ten  o'clock  at  night,  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  first  month,  the 


508  THE   FAR   EAST. 

8th  of  February  corresponding  to  tlie  calendar  now,  the  competitors  hav- 
ing taken  their  places,  at  the  beat  of  a  drum  they  dash  madly  through 
the  grounds  of  the  temple,  and  running  at  breakneck  speed,  reach  the 
river  flowing  through  the  town.  Here  a  swift  bath  is  taken  to  purify 
themselves,  and  they  enter  the  sacred  enclosure  by  a  way  hitherto  untrod 
by  them.  A  second  tap  of  the  drum  at  midnight  warns  another  bod}- 
of  contestants  to  follow  in  the  track  of  the  first.  Two  hours  later  the 
drum  sends  forth  its  deep-toned  note,  as  a  signal  that  the  first  part  of 
the  contest  is  over.  During  the  four  hours  a  steady  stream  of  rushing 
men  has  been  passing  through  the  court,  the  constant  tread  of  so  many 
feet,  rising  and  swelling  in  volume,  making  a  roar  similar  to  the  breaking 
of  waves  on  the  seashore,  so  that  the  echo  of  these  footsteps  can  be  heard 
twenty  miles  away. 

The  last  drum-beat  has  not  died  away  before  the  shinrji,  a  round  stick 
of  pine  wood,  consecrated  by  the  prayers  of  the  priests,  is  flung  from  a 
temple  window  into  the  midst  of  the  crowd.  At  the  same  time  a  hundred 
lesser  tokens,  called  kushigo,  are  made  to  accompany  the  other,  and  the 
mad  struggle  of  the  mob  begins.  As  the  main  prize  is  tlie  shingi,  every 
one  bends  all  his  energies  toward  capturing  that  as  long  as  lie  has  any 
reason  for  hoping  to  obtain  it.  The  second  scramble  comes  for  the  smaller 
prizes,  and  fortunate  is  he  who  gets  one  of  these  in  a  crowd  of  tens  of 
thousands,  of  whom  only  a  hundred  can  win.  That  the  contest  is  a 
furious  one  goes  without  saying,  and  the  noisy  battle  of  the  naked  men 
striving  there  in  the  temple  grounds  is  a  sight  to  be  long  remembered 
by  the  witness.  In  all  these  religious  festivals,  and  we  have  only  men- 
tioned a  small  part,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  more  educated  class  has  little 
to  do,  it  being  left  for  the  more  ignorant  and  superstitious  to  keep  alive 
the  spirit  of  their  existence. 

Wherever  one  goes  in  Japan  he  is  unpleasantly  reminded  of  the  practice 
of  burning  the  body  and  limbs  by  doctors  to  cure  the  ills  of  the  flesh,  or 
by  the  person  himself,  if  he  belongs  to  the  athletic  class,  to  produce 
muscles  where  strength  is  desired,  or  else  by  officials  as  a  way  of  punish- 
ing criminals.  The  result  is  many  ugly,  repulsive  scars  on  men,  women, 
and  even  children.  In  Kyoto  are  many  specialists  of  this  sort,  who,  for  a 
trivial  sum,  practice  this  ancient  method  of  treatment  on  their  patients. 
In  the  ofl&ces  of  these  physicians  hang  life-size  charts  of  the  human  form, 


JAPAN. 


500 


with  dots  and  dashes  showing  where  certain  diseases  must  be  Iruuted. 
Tlieir  outfit  consists  of  two  hirge  iron  pots  containing  sluuibering  fires, 
over  which  are  placed  sticks  of  rcd-liot  charcoal.  Over  the  spot  to  be 
treated  on  tlie  patient,  a  small  piece  of  combustible  substance  lilie  punk 
or  sponge  is  laid,  and  the  fiery  end  of  the  stick  of  charcoal  is  held  on  it 
until  the  object  begins  to  burn.  The  fire  thus  fed  is  allowed  to  eat  into 
the  flesh  a  suflicient  depth,  when  the  burning  mass  is  removed.  The 
odour  of  burning  flesh  is  apparent,  and  sometimes  these  wounds  are  as 


.IAI'A.SK.--I-. 


large  as  a  silver  dollar.  Jinriki.sha  men,  whose  limbs  require  strength, 
often  resort  to  this  method  of  gaining  the  required  muscle,  until  tlieir 
liml)s  are  covered  with  these  hideous  .scars  along  the  sinews  and  ligaments. 
We  have  been  on  a  trip  to  the  shore  of  the  Inland  Sea,  and  a  royally 
good  time  we  have  had,  too.  Among  the  places  of  interest  that  we  visited 
was  that  hallowed  tree  on  the  bank  of  the  Takasago,  known  in  romance 
as  the  "  Pine  of  the  Lovers."  Whoever  pas.se3  that  way  on  a  moonlit  night 
can  see  the  shadowy  forms  of  the  ancient  lovers  step  forth  frnm  the  heart 
of  the  pine,  and  hear  in  the  whispering  coast  wind  their  renewed  pledges 
of  love  and  fidelity.     If  the  fortunate  comer  looks  closer,  he  will  soon  see 


510 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


tlie  maid  and  her  lover,  with  bamboo  rakes  in  their  hands,  draw  together 

the  fallen  needles  of  the  ancient  tree. 

If  the  time  was  not  auspicious  for  us  to  behold  this  pretty  sight  and 

listen  to  the  oft-repeated  murmurs  of  love,  this  was  partly  made  up  for  by 

the  mellow 
voice  of  our 
dreamy  com- 
panion as  he 
told  in  lano-uacre 
that  bore  unmis 
takable  impres- 
sions of  other 
days  the  legend 
of  the  tree, 
which  was 
planted  in  the 
last  days  of  the 
god  of  sacred 
trust.  No  man 
was  living  in 
this  country 
then,  but  later 
a  humble  fisher- 
man and  his 
wife  took  up 
their  abode  on 
the  sandy  shore 
not  far  from  the 
Great  Pine.  In 
time  there  was 

born  to  them  one  child,  a  beautiful  daughter,  whose  eyes  were  as  clear  as 

the    silvery    pools  of  the  Inland  Sea,  and  whose  countenance  shone  as 

brightly  as  the  sunshine  on  Lake  Biwa. 

0-Matsu,  for  that  was  the  name  given  her  by  her  parents,  havmg  no 

playmates,  loved  to  sit  by  the  hour  under  the  pine,  knitting  the  fallen 

needles  into  strange  and  fanciful  shapes.     At  one  time  she  wove  herself  a 


JAPAN. 


511 


mantle  uf  .suoli  Ix-auty  tlial  her  father  and  motlier  marvelled  much.  Again 
she  braided  a  fantastic  sa.'<h,  uhioh  they  called  obi,  and  this  she  declared 
she  would  not  wear  until  her  wedding-day  came.  Thereupon  the  faces  of 
her  parents  grew  anxious,  for  they  knew  of  no  eligible  young  man  to  seek 
her  for  a  bride. 

But    it   wa.s  not   for  poor  mortals  to  peer  into  the  future.     Even  as 
0-Mat.>*u  had  been  plying  her  shuttle,  a  youth  across  the  bay  w'as  watching 


LAKE  -BROIll 


\  ■-  1 1     I  •  1 1   I   U  .  H  . 


the  flight  uf  the  far-flying  heruu,  and  wondering  what  laud  lay  beyond 
the  broad  sea  plain.  The  more  he  thought  about  it  the  stronger  became 
his  determination  to  visit  the  unknown  country;  so  one  day  he  started  to 
swim  the  long  di.stance.  Well  was  it  for  him  that  he  was  a  .stalwart 
swimmer,  else  had  he  never  been  cast  up  by  the  waves  at  the  very  feet  of 
0-Matsu,  as  she  wove  her  fancy  work  and  dreamed  her  dreams. 

If  she  was  at  first  st^irtled  l»y  this  unexpected  stranger,  coming  in  this 
strange  manner,  she  soon  recovered  herself.     She  saw  tiiat  he  wa.s  both 


512  THE    FAR    EAST. 

young  and  good  looking,  and  she  dragged  him  to  where  she  had  raked 
together  a  goodly  layer  of  pine-needles.  Lying  on  this  soft  conch,  the 
newcomer  speedily  returned  to  consciousness.  His  joy  upon  awakening 
and  seeing  who  was  watching  him  need  not  be  told  ;  neither  need  it  he 
repeated  how  the  twain  immediately  felt  for  each  other  that  love  which  is 
as  changeless  as  the  pine. 

The  lovers  hailed  it  as  a  good  omen  that  they  exchanged  their  vows  of 
constancy  beneath  the  old  sacred  tree,  and  the  parents  of  0-Matsu  were 
very  much  pleased,  for  they  looked  on  Teoyo,  as  the  lover  gave  his  name, 
as  a  model  youth.  So  the  happy  couple  were  wed,  and  Teoyo,  having  no 
desire  to  recross  the  sea,  remained  to  help  his  new  father,  who  was 
becoming  aged  now.  0-Matsu  never  had  reason  to  regret  her  marriage, 
and  the  happy  pair,  when  the  day's  toil  was  done,  used  to  seek  the  old 
pine,  bamboo  rake  in  hand,  and  while  they  repeated  their  pledges  of  love, 
raked  together  the  pine-needles. 

The  passing  years  took  away  their  aged  parents,  and  changed  many 
■  conditions  of  the  country ;  but  three  things  remained  unchangeable.  —  the 
Inland  Sea,  the  noble  pine,  and  their  love.  A  crane  came  and  built  her 
nest  in  the  old  tree,  and  reared  her  young  there,  while  a  tortoise  came  and 
dwelt  close  by  its  foot.  These  two  and  the  pine  gave  the  lovers  promise 
of  long  life  and  endurance.  But  the  longest  span  must  have  an  end,  and 
there  came  a  season  when  both  tottered  under  the  weight  laid  on  them  by 
many  years.  Still  they  did  not  fail  to  visit  often  the  friendly  pine,  and, 
seated  on  its  soft  needle  carpet,  they  would  tell  over,  as  they  had  done  m 
their  youth,  the  sweet  story  of  love,  sweeter  far  now  under  the  constancy 
of  years.  And  never  did  they  forget  to  rake  together  a  pile  of  needles 
with  their  bamboo  rakes  before  they  went  away,  that  there  might  be  a 
couch  for  them  when  they  should  return.  At  last  a  day  came  Avhen  the 
sunset  played  at  hide  and  seek  in  the  top  of  the  lofty  pine,  and  the  bamboo 
rakes  lay  undisturbed  for  the  first  time  during  many  years.  This  was  not 
because  their  owners  had  at  last  been  unfaithful  to  their  trusts,  but  be- 
cause they  rested  on  a  couch  made  by  hands  eternal  on  the  farther  shore 
of  the  River  of  Souls.  And  this  simple  story  explains  why  the  two 
lovers  are  seen  at  bright  mooidight  beneath  the  old  pine. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

THE    MAUKET    OF    MIKTII. 

LIVING  the  existence  of  a  secluded  people  for  over  two  thousand 
years,  —  what  has  been  a])tly  called  a  Crusoe  life,  —  Japan  affords, 
in  the  study  of  any  part  of  her  history,  rare  interest  to  the  scholar, 
])hilosopher,  and  antiipiurian.  while  the  general  reader  cannot  fail  to  Ije 
instructed  and  amused.  Closely  allied  to  the  religious  festivals  of  the 
inhabitants  have  been  their  fetes  of  seasons  and  flowers,  their  pastimes^ 
and  the  celebration  of  important  events,  which  have  marked  the  long 
highway  of  centin'ies  like  so  many  mile-stones.  One  by  one  these  ol> 
servances  have  been  added  to  the  growing  list,  coming  with  steady  and 
unannounced  heraldry  through  all  the  generations,  until  such  a  strong 
bond  of  custom  and  conventionality  has  been  fastened  upon  the  peojile  as 
they  hardly  realise.  Thus  the  island  em])ire  is  environed  and  interwoven 
with  such  a  strict  system  of  religious  and  fraternal  associations  as  no 
other  country  on  the  globe  can  equal.  At  the  same  time,  no  other  race  is 
capable  of  showing  a  finer  appreciation  of  these  pleasant,  graceful,  appro- 
I)riate,  and  harmonious  observances. 

The  year  in  Dai  Nippon,  during  the  old  regime,  began  under  a  movable 
calendar,  and  in  the  winter  season  it  was  from  two  to  six  weeks  later  than 
inidcr  the  Gregorian  reckoning.  But  even  then  it  came  in  what  was 
really  a  winter  month,  thougli  it  was  looked  n])on  as  the  awakening  of 
sj)ring,  and  was  called  ris-shun,  "  springtime,"  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  the  plum  and  the  yuki-wari-so,  "  snow-parting  plant,"  did  not  oiien  a 
bud  for  weeks  to  come. 

New-year's  is  among  the  most  scrui)ulou.sly  observed  days  in  the  year, 
and  no  work  of  any  kiml  is  supjtosed  to  be  done.  This  does  not  mean 
that  any  one  is  left  in  iilliiiess,  fur  there  are  the  preparations  for  calling 
on  friends  and  acquaintances,  and  as  on  this  occa.sion  all  dnii  their  best 
cliftlies,  no  little  care  and  time  is  spent  in  this  part  of  tlie  celebration. 
The  calls  on  those  in  the  higher  class  by  those  in  the  lower  are  of  the  most 

.'>13 


514 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


forraal  nature,  but  those  between  friends  are  generally  visits  of  pleasure, 
where  small  jDresents  are  given  and  the  gossip  of  the  season  is  exchanged 
in  a  confidential  manner.  Every  countenance  is  wreathed  in  smiles,  and 
peals  of  laughter  are  heard  on  every  hand.     Each  person  is  dressed  in  his 

or  her  best,  which 
means  that  bright 
Colours  have  been 
given  an  outing,  for 
the  Japanese  love 
best  the  hues  that 
set  the  example  of 
cheerfulness  in  this 
market  of  mirth. 

In  some  respects 
New-year's  Day  is  a 
serious  affair  to  the 
head  of  the  family, 
though  its  duties  are 
performed  to  the 
minutest  particular 
with  a  grace  and 
lightness  of  spirit  in 
keeping  with  the 
general  brightness  of 
the  glad  occasion. 
First  donning  his 
holiday  attire,  he 
makes  his  offerings 
to  the  deities,  both 
spiritual  and  terrestrial,  proffers  his  remembrance  to  the  shades  of  his 
fathers,  offers  his  salutations  of  good-will  to  his  living  kin  and  friends, 
and  then  partakes  of  a  morning  meal  intended  to  be  in  keeping  with  the 
association  of  the  day. 

No  householder  is  in  such  humble  circumstances  that  he  does  not  have 
to  prepare  a  "  heavenly  table,"  —  a  tray  lacquered  in  bright  colours  and 
decorated  with  the  foliage  of  the  evergreen  yuzuriha.     This  is  considered 


LANTKKN     SKI.LKU. 


JAPAN.  515 

the  only  fitting  receptacle  for  those  seven  dishes  of  allegorical  origin,  "a 
feast  of  fortune,"  of  Avhich  the  following  is  a  list,  with  accompanying  sig- 
nifications: A  rice  cake,  or  "'mirror  dumpling,"  because  it  is  made  in  the 
shape  of  the  sacred  mirror  of  the  Shinto  rites,  and  supposed  to  contain  what 
is  good  for  the  digestive  organs ;  oranges  laid  on  green  leaves,  meaning  a 
"  bequest  from  one  to  another ; "  chestnuts  dried  and  crushed,  signifying 
victory ;  persimmons,  considered  to  possess  medicinal  value ;  dried  sar- 
dines, denoting  conjugal  fidelit}',  as  the  little  fish  never  swim  singly ;  the 
ehi,  a  lobster,  its  long  tentacles  and  curved  back  suggesting  life  so  extended 
that  the  shoulders  become  bowed  and  the  beard  grows  long  and  heavy ; 
last,  a  herring  roe,  that  creature  of  the  sea  which  is  supposed  to  be  the 
most  prolific.  This  "table  of  elysium  "  is  also  emblematical  of  the  three 
islands  of  youth  located  somewhere  in  the  extreme  corner  of  the  sea-world, 
according  to  a  Chinese  legend,  where  all  creatures  retain  perpetual  youth, 
the  birds  and  animals  are  of  a  pure  white,  and  the  palaces  of  the  people 
are  of  gold  and  silver. 

"  Young  water,"  that  is,  water  drawn  from  the  well  luider  the  first  rays 
of  the  light  ushering  in  the  new  day  and  the  new  year,  is  used  in  preparing 
the  tea,  and  the  principal  edibles  are  a  special  compound  of  six  articles 
of  diet,  none  of  these  being  ever  omitted,  though  they  may  be  changed 
in  the  proportion  of  their  amount,  to  suit  tiie  tastes  of  those  at  the  meal. 
These  foods  are  the  mochi,  rice  cake ;  imo,  potato ;  daikon,  Japanese  tur- 
nil) ;  awabi,  haliotis  ;  (jobo,  a  sort  of  burdock  ;  kombu,  a  kuid  of  seaweed. 
In  order  to  ensure  good  health  during  the  twelve  months  to  follow,  it  is 
deemed  necessary  that  a  goodly  measure  of  sak(i  should  be  quaffed  from 
a  bright-lacquered  cup.  Tliis  part  i>f  the  custom  is  said  to  have  been 
introduced  from  China  centuries  ago,  and  to  have  originated  there  with  an 
old  hermit,  who  made  it  a  practice  to  distribute  amoig  the  villagers  on 
each  returning  New-year's  Day  portions  of  Jthysic,  with  tlie  injunction  that 
if  it  was  drunk  with  sak»?  it  would  secure  for  the  drinker  a  hale  and  hearty 
body. 

The  most  prominent  feature  of  the  decoration  is  the  "  pine  of  the  door- 
wa}',"  festooned  with  the  shiine-nnwa,  or  rope  of  rice-straw.  The  first 
consists  of  small  pines  and  l)aml)<)os  placed  on  either  side  of  the  vestibule, 
the  trees  supposed  to  typify  l)y  their  evergreen  foliage  long  life.  The  pine 
became  a  part  of  tliu  decoration  al)i>ut  a  tliou.sand  years  ago,  while  the 


516 


THE    FAR    EAST, 


b;uiilioo  is  a  later  addition  by  some  five  hundred  yeai's.  The  straw  rope 
is  of  greater  antiquity,  and  is  emblematical  of  spring,  and  refers  to  tlie 
ancient  morning  when  the  goddess  of  sunlight  was  enticed  from  her  cavern 
of  darkness  by  the  discontented  gods  of  darkness,  then  overruling  the 
earth,  and  the  rope  was  placed  across  the  entrance  to  the  cave  so  she  could 
not  return  to  her  underground  abode.  These  ropes  are  the  most  important 
of  the  decorations,  and  are  stretched  not  only  across  the  entrance  to  the 
house,  but  before    every  other  spot  which  the  sunlight   is    supposed  to 


A    WINE    CKLLAR. 


benefit,  such  as  the  well,  bathroom,  sacred  shelf,  and  inner  court.  Some- 
times a  piece  of  charcoal  is  suspended  from  the  rope,  it  l)eing  considered 
efficacious  in  warding  off  evils  ;  and  a  lobster,  decorated  with  fern  fronds, 
and  indicating  hardiness,  is  attached  to  the  line. 

It  is  not  held  to  be  necessary  to  resort  to  the  temples  that  the  deities 
may  be  propitiated,  though  a  few  do  it.  The  majority  prefer  to  ascend 
the  most  convenient  eminence  in  their  neighborhood,  and  the  entire  party, 
joining  hands,  watch  and  sing  as  the  new  sun  sends  its  virgin  beams  over 
the  landscape.  Later  in  the  day  small  bodies  of  both  se.^es  parade  the 
streets,  dancing  and  playing  before  the  homes  of  the  inhabitants.     Besides 


JAPAN. 


517 


these  are  parties  called  "  bird-chasers,"  which  are  made  iip  of  maidens  go- 
ing about  with  wide  coverings  nearl\  concealing  their  features,  while  they 
play  on  the  samiseu,  under  the  belief  tliat  this  will  drive  away  birds  of 
ill-ouieu  that  are  supposed  to  be  fluttering  on  wing  over  the  homes  of  the 
rich  and  poor. 

Among  the  pastimes  held  in  high  estimation  at  this  time  is  the  game  of 
shuttlecock  and  battle-board,  which  found  its  way  into  Japan  from  China. 
Tradition  gave  the  shuttlecock,  the  shape  of  a  dragon-fly,  and  attributed 


(   ill  l.liKI    N    ~     I   I  >  1  i  \  Al.. 


to  it  the  power  to  drive  away  mosquitoes.  It  lacked  the  battle-board,  and 
the  Japanese  added  that,  —  a  thin,  flat  board  of  pine  lacquered  in  red  and 
gold  on  the  back,  and  since  adorned  witii  pretty  pictures.  This  game  is 
played  by  the  young  of  both  se.xes,  an<l  the  Japanese  maiden  cherishes  her 
battle-board  next  to  her  dolls,  though  she  is  very  fond  of  the  latter. 

On  the  day  following  New-year's  there  is  a  sort  of  semblance  of  resum- 
ing work  and  business,  though  this  can  be  scarcely  called  more  than  a  ])re- 
tence.  Three  days  later  the  men-of-arms  resorted,  in  other  years,  to  the 
practice  of  marksmanship,  being  careful  to  have  the  tjirget  large  enough 
so  that  there  could  l)e  no  failure  in  hitting  it,  lest  their  records  for  the 


518  THE    FAR    EAST. 

coming  year  sHould  be  unfavourable.  Still  three  days  more  are  allowed  to 
pass,  when  the  pine  and  bamboo  decorations  are  torn  down  and  burned, 
willow  wands  twisted  and  braided  into  artistic  forms  being  hung  from  the 
eaves  of  the  dwellings.  With  the  burning  of  the  decorations  the  observ- 
ances are  practically  ended,  but  it  is  considered  a  part  of  the  same  to 
allow  the  servants,  male  and  female,  on  the  fifteenth  day  the  privilege 
of  visiting  their  homes.  On  the  twentieth  day  the  closing  scene  is  per- 
formed by  the  housewives,  who  offer  rice  dumplings  to  their  toilet  mirrors 
as  an  evidence  of  their  culinary  skill. 

For  man}'  centuries  the  "  five  festivals  of  the  seasons "  have  been 
prominent  and  favoured  fetes.  These  are  observed  on  the  7th  da}-  of  the 
first  month,  the  3d  day  of  the  third  month,  the  5th  day  of  the  fifth 
month,  the  7th  day  of  the  seventh  month,  and  the  9th  day  of  the  ninth 
month.  It  will  be  seen  that  they  occur  with  a  numerical  regularity  which 
is  striking.  The  Japanese  seem  to  have  a  peculiar  pleasure  in  such  ar- 
rangements. 

The  first  of  these  festivals  refers  more  esj^ecially  to  the  domestic  arts, 
and  is  largely  a  combination  of  stewing,  brewing,  and  divination,  called 
the  "  chopping  of  the  seven  herbs."  The  women  are  mostly  concerned  in 
its  performance,  which  lasts  through  the  earlier  hours  of  the  day. 

The  second  is  a  child's  festival,  during  which  dolls  representing  every 
trade,  craft,  and  calling,  civil  and  military,  historical  and  legendary,  are 
made.  Each  feature  of  these  dummies  is  shown  with  an  exacting  fidel- 
ity to  the  original.  The  setting  forth  in  display  of  these  figures,  often 
numbering  a  thousand,  is  both  interesting  and  educating  to  its  partici- 
pants. This  month,  March,  with  its  toys  and  opening  blossoms  of  spring, 
is  primarily  the  month  for  the  girls,  and  the  little  Japanese  maids  queen 
it  right  royally  both  at  home  and  among  their  friends. 

The  festival  of  the  6th  day  of  the  fifth  month  is  especially  a  boy's  fete. 
This  is  given  in  honour  of  the  birth  of  a  male  child  within  the  past  twelve 
months.  The  happy  event  is  proclaimed  by  flying  a  paper  or  silk  imita- 
tion of  a  carp  from  the  top  of  a  staff.  Made  of  light  material,  and  subject 
to  every  passing  breeze,  these  banner-like  objects  can  be  seen  streaming 
from  hundreds  and  thousands  of  houses,  until  it  looks  to  the  beholder  as 
if  a  flood  of  fish  had  been  sent  down  upon  the  towns  from  the  sky.  The 
big  eyes  of  the  carp  are  considered  to  be  typical  of  a  persevering  will,  as 


♦I 

t 


JAPAN. 


519 


well  as  the  indomitable  spirit  the  fish  displays  in  swimming  up  the  streams 
against  strong  currents  and  cataracts.  It  being  now  the  season  of  tlie 
iris  and  the  sweet-flag,  bouquets  of  the  latter  are  conspicuous,  while 
the  sake  drank  on  this  occasion  is  seasoned  with  the  petals  of  the  former. 
Once  warriors  and  battle-steeds  figured  prominently  in  these  festivals,  and 
displays  of  feats  with  the  sword  and  mimic  battles  took  place,  but  these 
warlike  scenes  have  passed  away  with  the  new  order  of  things.  The 
tango,  as  this  is  called,  is  of  very  ancient  origin,  and  many  legends  of  its 


TOY    DEALKR. 


as.sociation  still  live,  though  none  explain  definitely  its  rise  and  growth. 
One  of  the  customs  is  to  extinguish  all  the  lights  in  the  temples  at  the 
hour  of  the  liare,  so  thjit  the  frightened  animals  may  sock  their  homes 
without  fear. 

May  is  the  month  of  flowers.  It  is  then  that  the  cherry  blossoms, 
which  are  the  embodiment  of  all  that  is  pretty,  refined,  and  invigorating, 
according  to  Japanese  ideals,  are  in  the  full  flush  of  their  glory.  It  is 
true  that  a  single  blossom  has  no  special  claim  for  admiration,  and  even  a 
tree  loaded  with  its  gems  is  worthy  of  but  a  passing  glance,  but  it  is 
when  many  of  these  gigantic  flowering  plants  are  ma,s.sed  and  llu-ir  foli.ige 


520 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


trained  according  to  the  taste  of  the  artists  that  the  grand  effect  is 
obtained.  Broad  avennes  along  river-banks  are  rendered  transcendently 
inviting  by  them ;  or  a  framework  is  made  an  enticing  retreat  by  a 
network  of  these  smiling  messengers  of  summer  and  harvest.  Cherry 
groves  are  the  pleasure-grounds  both  of  the  young  and  beautiful,  with  no 

further  care  in  life  than 
the  seeking  after  the 
niany-hued  bauble  of 
love,  and  also  of  the 
gray-headed  philoso- 
pher, who  looks  deeper 
into  the  mysteries  of 
life,  as  Avell  as  of  the 
poet,  the  artist,  the 
labourer,  and  the  noble. 
The  jjurpose  of  the 
Japanese  is  to  celebrate 
each  season  wdth  appro- 
priate floral  emblems, 
from  which  come  the 
picnics  of  the  wistaria, 
a  z  a  1  e  a  ,  iris,  lotus, 
peony,  chrysanthe- 
mum, orchid,  and  the 
forests  in  their  gor- 
geous autumnal  tints. 
The  ideal  observance  is 
that  of  the  simplest 
nature.  An  eypression 
of  some  tender  senti- 
ment made  in  a  couplet,  the  paper  upon  which  the  verse  is  Avritten  sus- 
pended from  the  branch  of  a  tree  of  especial  i;iterest,  or  from  a  blooming 
plant,  is  an  example,  the  act  being  accompanied  with  outljursts  of  song 
more  voiceful  than  melodious,  and  strains  on  that  most  unmusical  of  in- 
struments, the  samisen.     These  are  all  outdoor  fetes. 

The  ceremonies  of  the  sixth  month  are  of  a  religious  nature,  and  are 


A    FLOWER    Glltl,. 


JAPAN.  521 

perfurined  on  the  river-banks  at  twilight,  where  one  of  the  Shinto  priests 
sets  np  a  rude  cross,  and  prays  for  the  peace  of  the  households  of  that 
vicinity.     As  will  be  seen,  this  is  a  relic  of  Shintoism. 

At  Kameido  is  celebrated  a  feast  called  the  "  First  Rabbit  of  Japan," 
which  is  given  in  memory  of  the  great  scholar,  Sugawara  Michizane,  who 
lived  in  the  sixteenth  century.  On  account  of  the  interest  he  took  in 
literature  the  poetical  youths  write  long  poems  (so  considered  by  them), 
and  burn  them  as  offerings  on  his  tomb  during  these  fetes.  If  the  cinders 
from  the  flames  float  high  in  the  air,  or  are  wafted  to  a  considerable 
distance,  the  author  turns  away  with  high  hopes  for  his  future  success. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

THE    STAR    LOVERS. 

IN  early  summer  occurs  a  picnic  which  combines  pleasure  and  business 
in  a  happy  manner.  It  consists  in  seeking,  as  the  tide  ebbs,  the  shell- 
fish which  are  to  be  found  buried  in  the  sand  under  the  water  a  few 
inches  deep.  Both  sexes,  old  and  young,  find  relaxation  and  satisfaction 
in  this  sport.  The  pleasure-seekers  float  out  with  the  tide  in  a  sort  of  flat- 
bottom  boat,  making  the  scene  merry  with  snatches  of  song  and  music 
from  the  tinkling  samisen.  At  the  proper  distance  the  boat  is  stopped, 
and  the  enlivening  rout  begins.  In  the  midst  of  the  active  scene  the  light- 
hearted  damsels  soon  lead  their  sterner  rivals  a  lively  competition.  To 
overcome  the  disadvantage  they  might  seem  to  have  in  the  matter  of 
dress,  the  wide  sleeves  of  their  loose-fitting  waists  are  fastened  up  by  bright 
cords  crossing  over  the  bosom,  so  as  to  give  each  owner  of  a  white,  well- 
rounded  arm  ample  chance  to  plunge  it  into  the  water  without  wetting 
the  garment.  The  bright-coloured  underskirt  is  dextei'oualy  tucked  up 
under  a  concealed  girdle,  and  the  fair  water-nymph  is  alive  for  work  or 
sport.  If  there  is  a  generous  display  of  pretty  ankles,  it  must  not  be  sup- 
posed that  it  is  made  at  the  sacrifice  of  good  taste  or  modesty.  The 
Japanese  see  nothing  wrong  or  imprudent  in  that  wliicli  of  necessity  must 
be  done. 

In  the  month  of  August,"  according  to  the  present  calendar,  is  a  festival 
called  most  commonly  Bon,  which  is  dedicated  to  the  ghosts  of  the  de- 
parted friends,  who  are  supposed  to  revisit  the  scenes  of  their  earthly  career 
at  this  season.  Five  days  are  given  over  to  this  fete,  but  the  ceremonies 
are  not  elaborate.  An  altar  of  straw  is  raised  on  bamboo  pillars,  between 
which  is  hung  the  "  sweet  air  rope  "  for  the  spirits  to  ascend.  The  floor 
is  strewn  with  the  leaves  of  the  coxcomb  and  lespedeza,  while  imitations 
of  horses  and  oxen  are  cut  from  melons,  and  a  band  of  cedar-leaves  is 
bound  about  the  whole.  Each  dwelling  has  lanterns  hung  before  its  door 
to  guide  the  visiting  spirit,  and  at  eventide  of  the  second  day  little  hemp 

522 


i^Vrestlers 


JAPAN. 


523 


fires  are  kindled  to  show  tliem  witli  greater  plainness  the  way  within.  On 
the  sixteenth,  the  last  evening,  these  tiny  lamps  are  set  to  light  the  path 
of  the  departing  spirit,  and  the  festival  is  then  over. 

During  the  ceremonies  omukae-dango,  "  cakes  of  welcome,"  and  okuri- 
dango,  "cakes  of 
farewell,"  are  eaten, 
with  other  viands  in 
keeping  with  the 
means  of  the  house- 
holder. Throughout 
the  entire  reception 
of  the  departed 
friends  making  this 
annual  visit  a  deco- 
rous demeanour  is 
maintained,  and  no 
effort  is  made  to  win 
their  favour.  The 
whole  purpose  is  to 
receive  them  as  if 
they  came  in  flesh 
and  blood,  kindly, 
courteously,  and 
generously. 

The  festival  of  the 
7th  day  of  the 
seventh  month  has 
nearly  lost  favour, 
even  in  the  remote 
districts  where  such 

customs  linger  longest.  This  consisted  of  cake  otTfrings  td  tin-  star.x, 
based  upon  the  legend  of  the  iu-nl-lioy  prince  cro.ssing  tlir  ibavcuh  River, 
the  Milky  Way,  in  order  to  keep  his  tryst  with  his  l)elov('(K  tlir  Weaver 
Princess.  This  was  illustrated  by  ves.sels  of  water  placed  between  row.s 
of  smoking  incense  set  up  in  .><tieks.  Tbe  object  of  tliis  festival  is  ex- 
plained by  the  story  of  the  star  lovers. 


CAH  iiixii  siii;i,i.  -  usii. 


524 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


It  all  happened  a  long  time  ago,  when  the  Sun,  ruler  of  the  universe, 
dwelt  in  his  sjaacious  mansion  on  the  near  bank  of  Silver  River,  which 
flows  across  the  heavenly  plain  and  is  known  to  mortals  now  as  the  Milky 
Way.  The  Sun  had  a  daughter  named  Ame-kujo,  who  was  very  beautiful 
and  gifted.  She  was  an  exceedingly  industrious  maid,  and  worked  so 
constantly  at  her  loom,  weaving  fairy-like  fancies,  that  she  became  known 
far  and  wide  as  the  ^Yeaver  Princess.  The  father  was  very  2)roud  of  his 
lovely  daughter,  and  he  was  greatly  pleased  over  her  industry,  until  at  last 


A    COLNTKY    SEAT. 


he  saw  that  she  was  growing  moody  and  silent  at  her  work.  This  troubled 
him  sorely,  for  her  vivacious  spirit  had  been  the  light  and  song  of  the 
palace,  Avhen  her  speech  had  sparkled  with  witty  sayings,  and  her  counte- 
nance beamed  with  the  cheer  of  a  youthful  heart. 

She  had  had  many  lovers,  and  her  troubles  were  readily  traced  to  these. 
Among  her  suitors  was  a  noted  warrior,  grown  gray  in  the  service  of  his 
king.  While  he  talked  much  of  war  and  little  of  love,  —  which  is  not  the 
way  to  win  a  maiden's  heart,  —  her  father  favoured  his  suit,  and  frankly 
said  as  much  to  Ame-kujo.  Then  she  confessed  that  she  had  plighted  her 
troth  to  a  herd-boy  iiamed  Kinrin,  who  tended  his  father's  flocks  on  the 


J  A  PAX. 


525 


bank  of  the  Heavenly  River.  Thereupuu  tlie  Sun  was  so  angry  that,  for 
a  whole  week,  he  kept  his  face  veiled  from  the  world  behind  black  clouds. 
From  that  time  the  princess  became  very  sad,  and  a  great  gloom  gathered 
over  the  household. 

The  warrior  suitor  saw  this  change,  and  wondered  what  it  foreboded ; 
the  herd-boy  lover  saw  it,  and  knew  it  portended  evil  to  him  and  his  maid. 
When  he  found  opportunity  to  speak  to  her,  he  bade  her  be  of  good  cheer, 


A     IIKAI    llHI,    <..M1I>K.N    l^)t     lOkYK. 


and  hope  for  a  liappy  fvdtilnient  of  their  dreams.  But  the  Sun  would  not 
listen  to  the  pleadings  of  his  daughter,  and  the  grizzled  warrior  repeated 
iiis  offers  of  matrimony  freijuently  and  stuliltornly,  though  her  only 
response  was  to  ply  the  shuttles  of  her  loom  faster  than  ever.  No  more 
was  she  the  merry,  vivacious  maid  of  yore. 

Finally  the  Sun  decreed  tliat  Kinrin,  on  the  7th  day  of  the  seventh 
month,  should  be  banished  to  the  farther  bank  of  the  wide  Silver  River,  and 
siioulil  remain  tliere  an  exile  for  ever.     Hearing  of  her  lover's  unhappy 


52(1  THE   FAR   EAST. 

fate,  Ame-kujo  stole  down  to  the  place  of  his  starting,  and  there  the 
unfortunate  couple  met  and  parted,  as  they  believed,  for  the  last 
time. 

The  Siui  had  commanded  all  the  magpies  in  the  kingdom  to  gather  Avitli 
outspread  wings,  and  thus  make  a  bridge  for  the  exiled  youth  to  pass  over 
thie  river  to  his  future  abiding-place.  Kinrin  saw  through  his  tears  the 
"weeping  princess,  as  she  watched  liiui  out  of  sight.  On  the  distant  l)ank 
of  the  River  of  Heaven  the  magpies  dispersed,  leaving  the  disconsolate 
lover  alone  in  his  despair. 

The  sadness  of  tlie  days  to  Kinrin,  as  he  followed  his  herd  in  the  remote 
land,  and  that  of  Ame-kujo,  while  she  plied  her  slmttles  in  her  desolate 
home,  cannot  be  pictured  b}-  a  mortal.  The  warrior  who  had  wooed  her 
with  such  fiery  words,  now  that  he  saw  the  change  in  her  once  lovely 
countenance,  refused  to  wed  such  a  disconsolate  bride. 

When  he  found  that  his  daughter  grew  more  and  more  dejected, 
and  that  she  was  going  to  die  unless  the  burden  of  her  sorrow  was 
lightened,  the  Sun  relented  so  far  that  he  declared  she  and  her  exiled 
lover  might  meet  on  the  Tth  night  of  the  seventh  month  of  the 
coming  j^ear.  She  at  once  dried  her  tears,  and  something  of  her 
old-time  lightness  of  heart  returned,  her  spirits  growing  happier  as 
the  day  she  was  to  go  to  Kinrin  drew  nearer.  The  only  fear  was 
that  the  day  might  bring  rain,  when  the  river  would  be  so  swollen 
that  she  could  not  cross. 

But  the  very  elements  were  her  friends.  The  day  came  and  departed 
without  a  shadow.  At  evenfall  the  stars  set  their  bright  watch  in  the 
sky,  and  joy  reigned  triumphant  throughout  all  the  heavens.  The  mag- 
pies came  as  they  had  the  year  before  for  the  exiled  herd-boy,  and  spread- 
ing wide  their  wings  made  a  safe  bridge  for  Ame-kujo  to  cross  over  the 
broad  river  to  her  lover.  His  surprise  was  more  than  equalled  hy  his  joy, 
and  with  such  happiness  as  only  the  pure  and  faithful  know,  the  two  lived 
those  happy  hours  of  the  stars.  She  uuist  leave  him  before  the  Sun  should 
return  from  his  nightly  pilgrimage,  and  with  sorrowful  hearts  the  lovers 
separated,  their  only  solace  being  the  hope  that  they  might  be  permitted 
to  meet  again  another  year. 

In  all  the  years  that  have  fled  since  then,  unless  it  be  very  stormy,  on 
the    Tth   day  of  the   seventh   month,  the  faithful    star  lovers  have  met 


JAPAN. 


527 


in  that  far-off  country  of  the  sky.  the  great  joy  of  their  meeting  made 
brighter  by  the  liope  tliat  some  time  tlie  banishment  of  Kinrin  will  be  over, 
and  that  they  will  know  no  further  sejiaration. 

On  the  1st  day  of  the  eighth  month  it  was  expected  that  a  grand 
annual  festival  would  be  held  at  Yedo,  now  Tokyo,  in  connnemoration  of 
tlie  entrance  of  lyeyasu,  the  founder  of  tlie  shogunate,  into  that  city. 
But  modern  Tokyo  ignores  all  tliis  show  of  military  glory,  and  is  happier 
in  paying  homage  to  the  moon  in  \hv  month  whicli.  according  to  the  new 


IAN  ]  I  i;n     M  Ahl  l;>. 


calendar,  is  fair  September.  There  is  an  old  saying  in  Japan  that  the  moon 
of  the  springtime  loses  her  l^rightest  beams  among  the  blossoms  of  the 
flowers;  in  tlie  sunnnertide  the  water  n-dcrts  her  image  in  jturer  tints 
than  her  own  light;  in  the  winter  the  north  wind  robs  her  rays  of  much 
of  their  lustre  ;  but  in  the  autumn  all  nature  is  her  friend,  and  rejoices  to 
see  her  at  her  best.  Thus  tiie  harvest  moon  of  Japan  is  the  moon  of 
festivities.  Especially  is  this  a  poetic  and  romantic  festival  in  the  more 
thinly  jiopulateil  di.stricts,  where  the  old-time  spirit  still  linger-s,  the  laugh- 
ing waterfall  vies  with  the  moon  in  her  transcendent  Iteauty,  and  the  noisy 
cataract  seeks  to  attract  Ipy   its  tumultuous   forces  wh.it    it    loses  in  oilier 


528 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


respects.      Man,  nature,  and  moon  combine  to  make  this  the  happiest 
event  of  a  happy  season. 

Three  things  are  wanted  to  make  this  festival  a  success :  the  time,  the 
moon,  and  water.  Tokyo  is  well  favoured  in  respect  to  the  last  by  the 
river  Sumida ;  Osaka,  by  the  noble  Yodo,  coming  fresh  from  Lake  Biwa ; 
and  if  Kyoto  is  less  fortunate  in  this  respect  her  people  do  not  know  it,  so 
the  result  is  the  same.     While  this  festival  has  lost  much  of  its  ancient 


BKACKET    liKUM.K,     ]l    KAIJAWA. 


glory,  it  has  gained  in  the  new  order  of  things.  Generous  display  of  fire- 
works, hosts  of  bright  flying  pennons,  pretty,  vivacious  geishas,  decked  in 
their  daintiest  costumes,  their  most  fascinating  grace  of  manner,  their 
gentle  refinement  of  womanhood,  all  aid  in  making  this  the  happy  fete 
it  is. 

A  favourite  place  of  holding  one  of  these  festivals  was  a  bridge  spanning 
one  of  the  streams  which  drained  the  Fujiyama  district.  Upon  building 
this  bridge,  in  order  to  bring  about  the  most  good  to  the  public,  it  was 
considered  necessary  to  have  the  two  happiest  men  in  the  province  first 


JAPAN.  529 

pass  over  the  new  structure.  In  looking  around  for  proper  persons,  tlie 
officials  were  exceedingly  fortunate  in  findinif  two  men  who  had  each  been 
masters  of  homes  for  threescore  years,  and  whose  wives  and  children, 
twelve  in  each  famil}^,  were  all  living.  Therefore  these  gray-headed  patri- 
archs were  chosen  to  lead  the  way  across  the  bridge,  which  had  been  painted 
a  bright  red  as  an  emblem  uf  a  light  heart.  The  venerable  twain  were 
accompanied  by  their  faithful  wives,  while  behind  these  couples  marched, 
two  and  two,  according 'to  their  ages,  their  grown-up  cliildren,  grand- 
children, and  great-grandchildren,  making  a  long  procession.  A  vast 
crowd  of  spectators  watched  the  train,  laughing  and  shouting  for  joy, 
while  showers  of  fireworks  illuminated  the  night  air,  and  the  thunder  of 
cannon  shook  the  distant  mountains.  As  was  foretold  then,  the  bridge 
has  stood  long  and  firm  as  proof  of  its  happy  beginning. 

This  was  better  fortune  than  that  which  befell  another  structure  of  this 
kind,  which  a  powerful  daimio  in  the  Keicho  era  decided  to  rear 
across  the  river  that  had  witnessed  one  of  his  victories,  as  a  monument  of 
his  prowess.  But  when  he  came  to  build  the  bridge  there  seemed  to  be  no 
solid  bottom  to  the  stream  upon  which  to  raise  pillars  to  support  the  long 
structure,  with  its  picturesque  curves  and  multitudinous  feet  like  the  centi- 
pcdti.  Thousands  upon  thousands  of  stones  were  thrown  into  the  river, 
but  as  often  as  the  bridge  was  constructed  it  would  sink  into  the  bed  of 
the  river  out  of  sight.  In  his  despair  and  disappointment  at  being  de- 
feated in  what  had  seemed  so  slight  a  matter,  when  compared  to  his 
triumph  over  armies  of  men,  Horio  Yoshiharu  swore  by  his  beard  that  he 
would  ultimately  succeed. 

Now  it  had  been  a  heaven-ordained  iiiL;  among  men  that  no  person 
should  cross  a  bridge  without  having  a  machi  in  the  back  of  his  linknma  ; 
that  is,  a  piece  of  stiff  cardljoard  sewn  into  the  garment  to  keep  it  smooth 
and  in  good  shape.  So  wlien  it  was  found  that  one  named  Gensuke  had 
been  accustomed  to  pass  over  this  bridge  as  soon  as  it  was  reared  without 
regard  for  this  custom,  the  cause  of  the  evil  was  quickly  thought  to  have 
been  found.  Gen.suke  was  instantly  seized,  and  in  order  to  appease  the 
anger  of  the  gods  whom  he  had  offended,  he  was  buried  alive  in  the  bed 
of  the  river,  where  he  sleeps  to  this  day.  Tiie  result  was  all  tliat  had 
been  devoutly  e.xpcrtfil.  The  foundation  for  the  pillars  became  as  solid  aa 
till-  rock-ribbed  hills;  so  the  bridge  was  compli'tcd  with  wluit  speed  was 


530 


THE   F'AR   EAST. 


jjossible.  There  it  stood  firm  and  faithful  for  over  three  hundred  years. 
The  truth  of  this  story  was  shoAvn  by  the  fact  that  the  middle  pier  bore 
the  name  of  the  foolhardy  man,  and  was  known  as  the  Gensuke-hashira. 
It  was  claimed  by  the  believers  that  on  moonless  nights,  at  the  dead  watch 
between  two  and  three  o'clock,  the  pillar  would  be  enveloped  in  a  ghostly 
red  light. 

In  the  idyllic  season  of  early  autumn  the  festival  of  the  chrysanthemum 


.MIVANOSIUTA     ItnER. 


holds  high  place,  and  once  Japan  could  justly  claim  the  peerage  of  the 
world  in  this  flower.  If  nature  has  been  chary  of  her  floral  gifts  to  Dai 
Nippon,  she  somewhat  atoned  for  this  niggardliness  by  bestowing  upon 
it  the  kiku,  or  world-famous  chrysanthenmm.  The  gardener,  whose  arts 
and  skill  in  arranging  beautiful  parks  abounding  with  artifical  waterfalls, 
foimtains,  lakelets,  rockworks,  tiny  bridges,  and  dwarf  trees  seem  without 
limit,  gives  his  best  attention  to  this  flowering  plant.  Sometimes  he  trains 
a  number  of  these  plants  upon  frames  to  represent  scenes  of  national 
interest,  and  shows  his  love  and  adeptness  in  hundreds  of  ways.     The 


JAPAN.  531 

emperor's  gardens  at  Akasaka  afford  a  fine  display  of  the  chrysanthemum 
in  its  natural  state. 

Formerly  a  royal  banquet  was  held  annually  in  honour  of  this  flower 
at  the  imperial  court  at  Yedo.  Then  the  women  in  higher  walks  of  life 
engaged  in  rivalry  to  see  who  should  be  the  fortunate  one  to  send  a 
blossom  which  should  be  accepted  by  the  consort  of  the  reigning  shogim. 
Sometimes  great  enthusiasm  and  excitement  ruled.  If  this  has  all  passed 
away  under  the  new  order  of  government,  the  love  of  the  chrysanthemum 
still  remains  with  the  Japanese,  and  they  do  not  cease  to  praise  its  fitness 
for  decorative  work,  its  prolificness  of  blossom,  the  ease  with  which  it 
can  be  massed  so  as  to  portray  historic  and  legendary  and  mythological 
pictures.  To  them  it  is,  in  its  many  varieties,  "  the  moon-touched  flower," 
"  the  pearl  of  hearts,"  "  crystal  court,"  '*  the  sleep  of  the  gray  tiger," 
"frost  beam,"  "the  jewel  of  the  inner  court,"  '•the  snow  of  the  five 
lakes,"  and  so  forth.  The  festivals  of  the  cherry  blossoms  and  the 
chrysanthemums  are  the  two  fetes  of  the  year  when  the  climate  and 
the  hearts  of  the  people  join  in  unison  to  make  the  very  most  of  a  gala 
season.  A  garden  of  a  type  foreign  to  the  country,  as  many  other  things 
have  usurped  the  old  ideas  and  fancies  in  Japan,  is  now  opened  in  the 
golden  month  of  October  in  Tokyo,  when  the  aristocratic  and  ofticial 
classes  help  to  swell  the  vast  crowd  visiting  the  magnificent  display. 

A  prominent  feature  at  the  fairs  which  come  late  in  the  summer  are 
great  numbers  of  fireflies,  imprisoned  in  horsehair  Ciiges,  and  for  sale  at  a 
rin  each.  A  rin,  it  should  be  remembered,  compares  to  our  mill.  The 
Japanese  have  a  sort  of  reverential  respect  for  these  little  "  earth  stars," 
and  among  the  pretty  ct^nceits  related  of  them  is  the  following : 

Once  upon  a  time  an  old  woodsman  saw  a  little  moon-child  on  the 
branch  of  a  bamboo,  and  he  captured  the  tiny  creature  and  took  her  home. 
His  wife  was  delighted  with  the  newcomer,  who  lived  with  them  for 
twenty  years.  As  she  grew  older  a  brilliant  light  overspread  her  body, 
so  that  the  forester's  humble  dwelling  was  filled  with  the  sweet  smile  of 
her  presence  by  day,  and  by  night  she  moved  aliout  his  home  like  a  lamp 
of  gold.  The  stars  paled  to  dimness  when  she  went  abroad,  and  the  moon 
became  dark  and  angry  witli  jealou.sy. 

Of  course  so  fair  a  maid  had  many  lovers,  and  among  the  others  the 
emperor  was  so  charmed  with  her  lieauty  and  sweetness  that  he  wanted 


532  THE    FAR   EAST. 

to  make  her  his  bride.  But  a  fairy  had  told  her  that  twenty  years  would 
end  her  earthly  existence,  so  she  refused  her  lovers  with  kindly  firmness, 
though  without  telling  even  the  emperor  her  real  reason.  He  became 
very  angry,  and  threatened  to  take  her  a  prisoner  to  his  castle.  But 
when  he  came  to  carry  out  his  threat,  lo !  she  took  flight  on  a  moonbeam, 
in  her  fright  crying  tears  of  silver.  Then  Mother  Moon  relented,  and  far 
away  from  the  pursuit  of  the  distracted  emperor  took  the  fugitive  in  her 
warm  arms.  Not  having  told  the  emperor  her  reason  for  refusing  him, 
the  tiny  maid  did  not  feel  that  she  had  done  right,  so  her  tears  took 
wings,  and  on  summer  nights  can  be  seen  flying  about  everywhere  search- 
ing for  the  disappointed  emperor.  He  died  many,  many  years  ago,  an  old 
man,  keeping  in  his  heart  a  love  for  the  proud  little  princess  who  dared  to 
refuse  an  emperor. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

PASTIMES    OF   A    PEOPLE. 

AMONG  the  native  methods  of  sport  and  amusement  are  feats  of 
acrol)atic  skill,  rinining,  jumping,  wrestling,  juggling,  living  stat- 
ues, trick  monke3s,  deformed  animals,  and  shouting  alleys,  to  say 
nothing  of  trials  at  archery,  with  bows  eight  or  ten  feet  long  and  arrows 
of  corresponding  length. 

The  oldest  of  all  the  sports  and  pastimes  is  that  of  wrestling,  supposed 
to  have  had  its  origin  over  nineteen  centuries  ago,  and  to  have  held  its 
popularit}'  through  all  the  changes  and  vicissitudes,  rise  and  fall  of  power, 
during  that  long  period.  Tradition,  which  is  ever  ready  to  nurture 
history,  declares  that  as  long  ago  as  twenty-five  years  before  Christ  the 
peace  of  the  island  empire  was  disturbed  by  the  boasts  of  one  Kehaya,  a 
member  of  the  emperor's  body-guard.  As  this  gigantic  wrestler  grew 
more  and  more  arrogant  in  his  manner,  it  was  finally  proclaimed  that 
whoever  should  be  able  to  throw  him  should  receive  high  reward.  Accord- 
ingly some  of  the  strongest  men  began  to  practise  for  a  trial  witli  him. 
but  when  they  came  to  meet  him  he  overpowered  them  all.  Tiiis  made 
him  more  overbearing  than  ever,  and  he  loudly  boasted  that  no  two  men 
in  the  empire  could  master  him.  This  called  forth  a  challenge  from  a 
certain  soldier  who  had  never  been  credited  with  any  skill  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  the  bully  quickly  accepted.  The  venturesome  soldier's  name 
was  Sukune,  and  everybody  pitied  him,  believing  he;  would  meet  the  same 
fate  as  the  others.  But  in  this  they  were  mistaken.  Sukune  had  been 
preparing  in  secret  for  .such  a  match  for  over  a  year,  and  when  he  came 
to  contend  with  the  mighty  Kehaya  lie  speedily  overcame  him,  cru-'jliiiig 
him  to  the  earth.  Great  was  the  rejoicing,  and  the  victor  was  rewarded 
with  a  large  estate  in  the  Yainato  province.  He  has  the  credit  of  fixing 
the  code  of  scientific  wrestling. 

Be  this  legend  or  history,  in  720  a.  d.  wrestling  was  given  its  first  ro5'al 
sanction,  when  Emperor  Shomo  and   his  imperial  court  extended  public 

5.t.l 


534 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


patronage  to  it.  One  Sliiga  Seirin,  of  Onii,  was  master  of  the  arts  and 
artifices  connected  with  it.  He  understood  the  forty-eight  kinds  of 
clntclies  and  holds,  liaving  been  the  originator  of  many  of  them,  and 
knew  the  gradations  belonging  to  the  game.     He  improved  upon  many 

of  the  grips,  and 
established  him- 
self so  well  as 
master  of  the 
pastime  that  his 
successive  de- 
scendants held 
the  important 
and  honourable 
position  of  chief 
umpire  at  court 
until  the  ex- 
tinction of  the 
family  line  in 
1187,  after  450 
years  of  credit- 
able rule. 

The  honour 
next  fell  on 
Yoshida  Oikase, 
of  Echizen,  one 
of  whose  lineal 
descendants  is 
the  present 
chief,  and    who 

is  alone  empowered  to  bestow  upon  the  clianipiun  wrestler  that  badge  of 
distinction  which  every  ambitious  follower  of  the  order  seeks  as  the  ulti- 
mate reward  of  all  his  training  and  skill  in  overcoming  his  rivals,  the 
yokozuna,  a  belt  braided  of  two  strands  of  white  silk. 

Tradition  delights  in  attributing  great  size  to  the  champions  of  this 
pastime,  picturing  some  of  them  as  tall  as  seven  feet,  and  weighing 
between  fonr  and  five  hundred  pounds.     Such  athletes  among  the  slight- 


WHKSTLKKS 


Japanese  Actors 


JAPAN. 


535 


ligured  men  of  the  race  must  have  ajipearod  hke  giants.  It  is  needless 
to  say  that  wrestlers  of  such  wonderful  size  are  not  found  to-day,  though 
the  contrast  between  their  size  and  that  of  their  countrymen  is  striking. 
It  is  nothing  unusual  to  find  those  among  them  who  stand  six  feet  in 
height  and  weighing  250  pounds.  This  fact  is  accounted  for  by  the  cus- 
tom of  selecting  only  youths  of  uncommon  size  for  this  calling,  and  these 
come  princij)ally  from  the  labouring  class,  which,  as  we  have  said,  possesses 
greater  stature  and  muscle  tliau  the  noliility.     From  the  time  of  having 


accepted  this  calling,  the  follower  diets  for  the  purpose,  eating  only  the 
most  wholesome  food,  and  abstaining  from  all  intoxicating  drinks. 

The  wrestlers  of  the  country  arc  divided  into  "camps"  or  factions,  the 
Western  and  Eastern  Camp.  These  are  subdivided  into  classes,  each  with 
its  champions.  These  camps  hold  grand  matches  in  the  spring  and  the 
autuiiui  at  Kyoto,  Tokyo,  and  Osaka,  and  once  a  year  in  each  important 
centre  of  the  interior  i>rovinces.  These  trials  take  place  within  a  ring 
formed  by  straw  sand-bags.  An  umpire  is  given  position  inside  the  ring 
with  the  contestants,  to  see  that  the  rules  of  the  game  arc  strictly  fol- 
lowed, and  to  stop  the  battle  as  soon  as  he  sees  that  one  side  is  faltering. 


536 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


The  rivals  strip  themselves  of  all  garments  that  are  likely  to  interfere 
with  the  free  movements  of  limbs  or  body,  and  agree  to  obey  all  rules 
and  restrictions,  which  are  many  and  often  look  intricate  to  the  onlooker. 
The  umpire's  duty  is  no  slight  matter,  and  he  is  often  called  upon  to  exer- 
cise strong  expression 
of  purpose  to  keep  the 
wrestlers  within  the 
code  of  grips  and 
thrusts .  He  w^ho 
finally  succeeds  in 
throwing  his  adver- 
sar}-  outside  of  the 
circle  of  sand-bags  is 
declared  victor.  Ut- 
most good  feeling 
prevails  inside  the 
ring,  but  the  specta- 
tors often  become 
wild  with  excitement. 
One  of  the  methods 
of  rewarding  the 
rivals  is  for  members 
of  the  audience  to 
throw  their  clothes  to 
them,  and  redeem 
them  afterward  with 
money. 

The  bout  between 
the  contestants  is  not 
limited  to  one  day, 
but  they  are  allowed  ten  days  in  which  to  end  the  struggle.  The  wrestlers 
are  good-natured  men,  who  never  fall  into  the  vulgar  habits  of  the  common 
brawler,  and  receive  good  remuneration  for  the  following  of  their  rugged 
calling.  It  is  very  seldom  one  of  them  transgresses  the  law,  and  an  arrest 
is  of  rare  occurrence.  The  goal  toward  which  all  are  striving  is  the 
exalted  position  of  toshi-'/ori-i/aku,  or  "  elder."     These  distinguished  mem- 


ACTOR    AS    AN    OLD-TIME   WARRIOR. 


JAPAN.  537 

bers  are  the  organisers  o£  matches,  become  referees,  look  after  the  finances 
uf  the  camps,  and  take  pupils  for  the  profession.  There  are  over  eighty 
of  these  elders  at  the  present  time  in  the  country,  while  there  are  several 
hundred  wrestlers. 

Football,  according  to  Occidental  methods,  has  supplanted  the  old- 
style  ke-mari,  introduced  from  China  more  than  a  thousand  years  ago. 
The  object  of  this  game  was  to  keep  the  ball  always  in  the  air,  kicking 
it  as  high  as  possible.  Goals  were  not  arranged,  neither  was  there  any 
organised  eifort  in  the  struggle.  Te-mari,  or  hand-ball,  is  a  pastime 
adapted  to  the  feminine  sex,  and  the  young  girls  show  great  skill  and 
grace  in  the  manner  which  they  play  this  popular  pastime.  Thei'e  are 
numerous  fanciful  figures,  calling  out  the  ease  and  suppleness  of  movement 
fur  which  the  Japanese  dancer  is  noted.  During  the  game,  as  the  actors 
jjirouette  and  bound  to  and  fro,  the  entire  body  of  players  keep  time  with 
some  ditty  sung  in  unison  by  the  entire  party. 

Among  the  youth  of  the  opposite  sex  kite-flying  is  the  favourite  pas- 
time, even  the  adults  deeming  it  not  beneath  the  dignitv  of  their  atje  and 
exjierience.  So  deeply  has  this  sport  fixed  itself  on  the  peojjle  that  special 
seasons  are  set  apart  for  the  trials.  In  some  localities  the  boys  look  for- 
ward anxiously  to  the  New-year's  Day,  as  a  time  for  kite-flying.  On  tho.se 
occasions,  the  sky  over  some  of  the  villages  is  literally  peopled  with  kites 
of  many  sizes  and  descriptions.  In  some  localities,  the  birthday  of  a  boy 
is  most  properly  celebrated  by  kite-flying,  and,  as  soon  as  he  becomes  large 
enough  to  participate  in  the  sport,  he  invites  his  friends  to  join  with  him 
in  the  merrymaking.  On  the  day  of  the  birth  of  a  boy,  his  parents  an- 
nounce the  happy  event  by  sending  aloft  one  of  the  messengers  of  the  air  to 
announce  the  coming  of  the  young  heir,  and  also  to  illustrate  with  its  lofty 
flight  their  high  aims  and  ambition  for  the  child.  If  the  family  belongs 
to  till'  lower  class,  it  must  be  content  witli  a  kite  of  small  size.  Init  if  the 
parents  are  among  the  noltility,  nothing  sliort  of  a  kite  of  enormous  size 
will  satisfy  the  .soaring  aspirations.  Thus,  those  of  this  class  are  as  much 
as  thirty  feet  in  dianu-ter,  and  carry  a  Uiil  of  red  and  white,  or  pink  and 
blue,  in  alternate  folds  that  reach  for  more  than  throe  thou.sand  feet. 
Soaring  high  among  the  clouds,  this  enormous  kite,  with  its  bright.-<n)l 
oured  appendages,  presents  a  most  l)eautiful  s])ectiiclf'.  hundreds  uf  ])»'ople 
turning  out  to  watcli  it.     The  moment  it  begins  to  drsccnd,  tin-  watchers 


538 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


stand  ready  to  seize  hold  of  the  tail,  tearing  off  section  after  section,  to 
keep  as  precious  relics  of  the  happy  event.  The  affair  is  ended  with  a 
feast,  to  which  all  are  invited. 

The  grown  people  all  over  the  islands  have  their  seasons  for  kite-flying, 

but  none  is  more 
famous  than  the  great 
picnics  of  Nagasaki, 
which  are  enlivened 
with  the  spirit  of 
rivalry  and  contest 
for  the  supremacy  in 
this  sport.  The  time 
set  for  these  tourna- 
ments is  three  days 
in  the  beautiful  month 
of  May,  when  the  en- 
tire population  turns 
out  to  witness  or  par- 
ticipate ill  the  pas- 
time. Kites  as  large 
as  twelve  square  yards 
and  as  small  as  a  foot 
square,  with  bright 
fringes  completely 
surrounding  them, 
are  sent  upward  the 
length  of  the  holding- 
cord,  usually  from  two 
to  three  lumdred  feet. 
These  kites  are  of  uniform  shape,  the  frame  being  made  of  well-seasoned 
bamboo  ribs,  slightly  convexed  to  the  wind,  and  attached  to  the  flying- 
cord  by  several  lines  fastened  at  regular  intervals  around  the  rim.  The 
most  important  feature  in  their  construction  is  the  covering  of  powdered 
glass  placed  deftly  the  entire  length  of  the  holding-line.  The  purpose  of 
this  is  to  cut  whatever  string  it  may  touch  of  the  other  kites,  and  the  great 
object  is  thus  to  cut  loose  as  many  of  the  other  kites  as  possible.    The  kite 


JAPANESE    KITE. 


.lAl'AN. 


539 


thus  sent  adrift  is  lost  to  the  owner,  and  becomes  the  property  of  whoever 
may  be  fortunate  or  skilful  enough  to  capture  it.  In  these  two  directions 
lies  tlie  interest  of  the  occasion,  and  so  furious  becomes  the  rivalry  that 
exciting  scenes  are  sure  to  follow.  Not  only  are  the  kite-flyers  eager  for 
the  trial,  but  there  are  kite-catchers,  who  station  themselves  wherever  they 
may  imagine  is 
good  vantage- 
ground,  those 
positions  most 
elevated  being 
considered  most 
a  d  vantageous. 
Thus  m  a  ii  y  o  1 
them  climb  into 
the  tops  of  higli 
trees,  and  there 
wait  and  watch 
for  the  prize. 
Should  it  happen 
that  more  than 
one  person  reaches 
the  disabled  kite 
at  the  same  time, 
tlie  one  nearest 
the  end  of  the 
string  is  consid- 
ered the  fortunate 
jjerson.  If  more 
than  one  can  claim 

A    ToV    SKI.I.KK. 

an  equal  advan- 
tage, the  kite  is  cut  into  parts  and  tiuis  divideil.  Wonicii.  nt'tcn  lifautiful 
girls,  vie  with  boys  and  men  in  tliis  exciting  pastime,  and  many  a  lover's 
fate  has  been  decided  in  tlie.se  tournaments.  Once,  at  least,  the  fate  of 
Nagasaki  hung  on  a  flying  kite,  wlicn  two  faction.s  contended  for  thr  hon- 
ours with  an  earnestness  whioii  tiireatened  to  end  with  a  resort  to  spears 
and  glaives  in  place  of  iiarmlt-ss   kites.      Foitiinatelv   the   diO'ereufe   was 


k 


540  THE   FAR   EAST. 

settled  by  a  compromise,  and  peace  again  reigned.  Usually  the  best  of 
good  humour  prevails,  and  the  results  are  accepted  with  commendable 
resignation.  The  cost  of  the  shi-yen-kai,  as  this  picnic  is  called,  often 
de]3letes  the  pocketbooks  of  the  most  wealthy,  all  of  which  is  taken  as  a 
matter  of  course. 

If  Nagasaki  prides  herself  upon  the  skill  of  her  kite-flyers,  and  Toas 
holds  her  a  good  second,  Suruga  claims  honour  in  the  matter  of  size.  The 
kites  of  this  place  are  monsters  of  a  thousand  feet  square,  or  of  "  two 
thousand  sheets,"  as  they  are  called.  The  term  "  sheet "  refers  to  the 
number  of  sheets  of  paper  of  which  the  kite  is  constructed.  One  of  these 
kites  costs  about  six  hundred  yen,  and  requires  a  cable  and  twenty  men 
to  fly  it. 

An  extreme  in  the  matter  of  size  is  found  in  the  province  of  Owari, 
where  the  Smaller  the  kite  the  greater  the  distinction.  Here  tiny  affairs, 
miniature  representatives  of  bees  and  cicadas,  are  sent  aloft,  attached  to 
gossamer  silk  wound  on  ivory  spindles. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

IXUOUK    IIECHKATIOXS. 

A  WHOLE  volume  of  good  size  might  be  written  on  dancing  and 
(lancers  without  exhausting  the  subject.  Probably  no  art  or  custom 
of  the  Japanese  has  been  as  severely  criticised,  and  it  is  equally  true 
that  no  part  of  their  social  life  has  been  so  little  understood.  In  Japan 
tlie  dancers  know  nothing  of  polkas,  waltzes,  or  quadrilles,  their  aim  being 
to  represent  some  ideal  picture,  such  as  the  festival  of  tlie  cherry  from  the 
planting  of  the  tree,  and  the  bursting  of  the  bud  into  blossom  to  the  gath- 
ering of  the  flower,  or  to  describe  some  household  scene  or  drama  of  war. 
Tlie  figures  of  the  geishas  are  beautiful,  and  their  entire  action  is  pervaded 
witii  a  grace  and  charm  that  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated.  Dancing, 
according  to  Occidental  ideas,  has  no  place  in  Oriental  life.  In  the  former, 
tliat  which  portra3s  a  happy  motion  of  the  dancer  adapted  to  music  is 
demanded,  sometimes  with  a  spectacular  display,  which  is  best  illustrated 
by  the  ballet.  In  Japan  these  qualities  are  unknown.  Here  the  art  that 
l)leases  is  the  art  which  conceals  the  causes  leading  to  the  minutest  result. 
We  find  all  the  grace  of  the  Occident  in  the  swaying  of  the  body  and  the 
motions  of  the  limbs,  each  of  which  is  effected  with  a  studied  symmetry 
which  deceives  the  unsophisticated  spectator  into  the  belief  that  he  is  look- 
ing upon  that  wliieh  is  commonplace,  when  in  reality  it  is  something  be- 
yond his  comprehension.  He  does  not  at  first  appreciate  tlie  rhythmical 
motion  which  offers  no  muscular  development,  but  portrays  to  the  initiated 
some  rare  incident  of  ancient  history,  legendary  tale,  or  family  folk-lore. 
The  natural  ease  and  grace  with  which  it  is  acted  comes  only  from  long 
training  of  the  dancer,  who,  after  all,  must  possess  a  herediUiry  gift  in  that 
direction. 

Dancing  is  taught  the  girls  and  boys  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  go 
alone,  and  is  never  relaxed  in  the  ca.se  of  those  who  desire  to  become 
adepts.  Few,  if  any,  are  lacking  in  the  art,  and  puldic  dances  in  wliicli 
old  and  young,  male  and  female,  join  in  hearty  resjionse  are  of  coinnion 

o4l 


542 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


occurrence.  Great  events  are  generally  observed  and  commemorated  in 
this  manner.  One  of  the  most  noted  dances  of  old  time  was  that  which 
lasted  for  a  full  week  at  Kyoto,  soon  after  the  capital  was  changed  from 
Nara  to  that  city,  near  the  close  of  the  eighth  century.     Another  Kyotoan 

dance  is  worthj^  of 
special  mention  on 
account  of  the  won- 
derful varieties  of 
costumes,  and  the 
great  number  of  peo- 
ple taking  part  in  it. 
This  was  an  expres- 
sion of  thanksgiving 
for  the  remarkable 
prosperity  of  the 
country,  and  each 
district  represented 
was  noticeable  for 
its  individual  colour. 
The  South,  noted  for 
a  wonderful  bird  of 
crimson  hue,  chose 
scarlet ;  the  West, 
the  lair  of  the  gray 
tiger  of  legend,  had 
white  crape;  the 
North,  the  seat  of 
military  power,  was 
GEISHA.  distinguished    by    a 

becoming  dark  hue ; 
the  East,  where  the  great  dragon  inhabits  the  dark  green  sea,  was  known 
for  its  light  green  silk.  Upon  these  distinguishing  grounds  were  woven  or 
embroidered  designs  and  decorations  of  almost  every  shade  and  shape 
imaginable.  It  is  recorded  that  on  one  of  the  fields  were  to  be  seen  such 
ornaments  as  "  a  nightingale  perched  on  a  spray  of  blossoming  plum ; 
silver  trout  splashing  in  blue  streams ;  snowy  herons  roosting  among  pine 


JAPAN. 


boughs  at  the  shrine  of  Gihon ;  fiery  maples  glowing  on  Kwacho  hillside  ; 
rosy  cherry  petals  floating  over  the  Otowa  waterfall,  or  the  vulgar  Venus 
embracing  a  mushroom  on  the  Inari  Moimtain."  and  innumerable  other 
figures  and  designs  as  unique  and  beautiful,  initil  it  appeared  as  if  the  in- 
ventive skill  of  the 
weavers  was  with- 
out limit.  Never 
before  or  since  has 
such  a  picturesque 
concourse  of  people 
danced  through  the 
da}'  in  a  maze  of 
graceful  and  gro- 
tesque figures  to 
the  music  of  flute 
and  drum. 

Dancing  is  a 
prominent  feature 
of  the  festival  of 
the  7th  day  of  the 
se  ve  n  th  month, 
wIr'u  tiny  niis.ses, 
in  high  coiffures, 
spangled  with  silver 
l)ins  and  pink  tor- 
toise shells,  and 
decorated  with 
richly  embroidered 
satin  robes,  set  off 
with  a  broad  belt  of  emlx).ssed  gold  and  purple  di'sign.s,  are  among  the 
leading  characters. 

With  the  various  dances  and  their  checkered  fortunes,  it  remained  fur 
the  kanjin^o,  commonly  called  now  by  its  last  syllable,  to  be  put  upon 
the  stage  as  a  part  of  the  ]irelude  to  the  acting.  This  was  an  ancient 
dance,  which  formerly  fell  tinm  grace,  to  be  placed  by  a  daring  admirer 
on  the  boards  of  the  theatre  in  183(1,  at  a  time  when  amu.sements  of  this 


A    KI.ITK    PI.AYKK. 


544  THE    FAR   EAST. 

kind  were  condemned  by  the  aristocratic  class.  His  name  was  added  to 
it,  so  it  became  known  as  the  sensuke-no.  This  dance  and  its  powerful 
auxiliaries,  which  may  be  said  to  have  had  two  lives  or  periods  of  exist- 
ence, is  purely  a  Japanese  affair.  Many  of  the  other  dances  in  Japan 
have  been  affected  by  Chinese  influence,  but  this  has  not  been  the  fate 
of  the  no,  which  has  been  compared  to  the  drama  of  old  Greece.  To  no 
otlier  amusement  do  the  Japanese  lend  their  undivided  interest  as  they 
do  to  this,  and  they  never  seem  to  tire  of  it,  though  the  foreigner  may 
witness  it  in  disgust,  and  leave  the  place  bored  by  its  tediousness. 

From  the  dancing-child  has  sprung,  within  a  little  over  two  hundred 
years,  a  character  in  Japanese  social  life  which  finds  no  counterpart  in  any 
other  country.  Almost  at  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  this  singular 
person  it  was  declared  that  she  was  undermining  society,  and  the  nobility 
excluded  her  from  their  places  of  amusement.  So  for  a  hundred  years  the 
dancers  of  this  class  were  content  to  accept  such  adulation  and  encourage- 
Inent  as  came  from  public  resorts  where  the  best  morals  were  not  expected. 
After  this  long  interval  of  ostracism  the  dancing-girls  were  allowed  to  re- 
turn to  good  society,  and  they  began  to  play  an  important  part  in  polite 
circles.  The  picture  of  one  of  these  "  sirens  of  society  "  is  that  of  a  pretty 
girl  in  her  teens,  with  an  exquisite  figure  and  a  refining  grace  in  all  her 
manner.  She  is  so  slight  of  form  and  airy  of  movement,  in  her  brilliant 
robes  and  sparkling  head-dress,  that  she  appears  like  a  butterfly  hovering 
about  a  light.  Her  tiny  feet  keep  perfect  rhythm  to  the  tedious  humming 
of  the  samisen,  her  flowing  sleeves  and  parti-coloured  skirts  of  bewildering 
folds  rising  and  falling,  swelling  and  contracting,  with. each  graceful  curve 
and  motion  of  her  supple  figure,  the  whole  rendered  more  fairylike  by  the 
red  flame  of  the  paper  lanterns.  Although  profusely  ornamented,  she  is 
tastefully  dressed,  and  appears  both  modest  and  demure,  but  with  an  arch- 
ness which  gives  piquancy  and  winsome  delight  to  her  manner.  She  is 
not  only  a  model  dancer,  but  she  can  play  and  sing,  and  is  both  wdtty  and 
well  informed.  This  is  a  description  which  does  scant  justice  to  the  much- 
talked  about,  long-abused,  and  ever-admired  geisha. 

The  very  name  is  against  her  fair  reputation,  for  it  denotes  that  she  is 
not  a  part  of  a  household,  but  an  adjunct  of  a  geisha-ya,  a  dance-house. 
It  betrays  to  those  knowing  the  meaning  of  the  term  that  she  is  a  party 
to  a  contract  made  by  her  parents  or  guardian  to  another  who  shall  give 


JAPAN. 


545 


ber  employment  for  a  certain  iiiimlier  of  years.  Tliis  contract  usually 
means  for  seven  or  ten  years,  a  pt)rtion  of  the  proceeds  going  to  her,  and 
the  balance  —  the  larger  half  —  to  him  who  has  undertaken  her  charge. 
If  she  enters  her  service  before  the  age  of  ten  years,  she  connnences  as  an 
o-shaku,  or  cup-bearer,  and  five  years  later  becomes  what  is  denominated 
the  ipjion  .  This 
means  she  has  ad- 
vanced far  enough  to 
be  entitled  to  an 
amount  of  compensa- 
tion, or  ••  honorary 
tribute,"  of  twenty- 
five  yen,  in  payment 
of  an  entertainment 
lasting  during  the 
burning  of  one  stick 
of  incense.  She  is 
now  allowed  to  leave 
her  dancing  to  her 
younger  companions, 
while  she  devotes  her 
time  to  music.  She 
plays  accompaniments 
for  convi\ial  songs, 
sings  herself,  perhaps, 
and  enlivens  the 
whole  entertainment 
with  her  vivacity  and 
ready  tongue,  never 
lowering  herself  be- 
low the  dignity  of  maidenly  modestly.  If  she  is  particularly  l)right  or 
pretty  she  soon  becomes  in  great  (Irmaiid,  and  is  often  the  recipient  of 
what  seems  a  good  income.  Besides  this,  she  is  entitled  by  license  to 
pick  up  without  question  rewards  along  the  by-paths  of  her  calling.  If 
she  prefers  to  incur  the  risk  of  being  fminil  out  without  propiT  con.sent, 
she  plies  her  arts  in  secrecy.     While  she   improves   these  opportunities, 


nOl'SE    CLEANING. 


546  THE   FAR   EAST. 

either  bought  or  stolen,  she  has  another  and  culminating  object  in  her 
little  head.  This  is  nothing  less  than  to  secure  a  lover  who  shall  be  able 
to  jDromote  her  from  this  public  career  into  a  home  of  her  own.  Much 
has  been  written  about  the  geisha,  —  dancer,  singer,  artist,  and  vivacious 
little  minx,  so  deeply  skilled  in  artifice  as  to  lose  sight  of  art,  —  and  her 
cousin,  the  musume,  —  the  dainty,  jDlebeian,  picturesque  gii'l  of  the  tea- 
house ;  but  while  the  foreigner  cannot  help  admiring  and  condemning 
both,  he  does  not  really  understand  either. 

In  connection  with  what  has  been  written  here,  the  shadow  of  social 
sin  is  apparent  on  the  bright  surface  of  society.  This  becomes  plainer 
when  we  learn  upon  investigation  that  the  life  of  a  geisha  is  not  always 
lived  as  her  personal  choice  might  dictate.  She,  as  a  rule,  becomes  such 
through  the  request  of  her  parents.  They  may  be  in  straitened  circum- 
stances, and  take  this  method  of  paying  off  an  indebtedness.  Looking 
still  deeper  into  the  situation,  we  find  that  she  is  a  sort  of  cousin  to 
another  class  of  unfortunates,  styled  yii-jo,  who  are  always  the  direct 
object  of  a  trade.  Continental  Europe  licenses  her  social  sin,  and  Japan 
follows  her  example,  except  that  she  does  not  parade  or  exonerate  her 
vice.  Although  the  unhappy  party  to  this  bargain  has  small  voice  in  the 
original  transaction,  she  has  the  privilege  to  break  that  contract  at  her 
own  free  will.  If  she  seldom  does  this,  who,  not  thoroughly  conversant 
with  the  true  condition,  is  able  to  pass  judgment  upon  her  ?  That  the 
delicate  situation  is  felt  and  appreciated  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the 
wife  of  a  Japanese  gentleman  has  to  show  a  respectable  record  for  several 
generations  back,  and  this  fact  more  than  an3^thing  else  works  against  the 
marriage  of  the  geisha,  or  yu-jo.  The  inhabitant  of  the  Western  world 
is  perhaps  most  puzzled  to  know  how  it  is  that  parents  will  become  the 
prime  factors  in  these  unholj'  trades.     Let  them  answer,  not  the  victim. 

The  drama  was  brought  before  the  public  in  a  somewhat  romantic  way, 
near  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century.  A  famous  dancer  named  0-Kuni, 
having  danced  before  the  Shogun  Yoshiteru,  pleased  that  monarch  so  much 
that  he  granted  her  especial  favours,  and  she  became  celebrated.  But 
falling  in  love  with  one  of  the  ruler's  retainers,  and  their  relations  being 
discovered,  she  immediately  lost  public  approval.  Both  losing  their  posi- 
tions, she  suggested  that  they  dance  on  the  public  sward  for  a  living.  In 
this  manner,  what  had  been  a  religious  dance  was  converted  into  a  profes- 


.lAPAX. 


547' 


sion  of  ;i  profane  characUT.  though  she  made  certain  niodiiioations  to  suit 
their  purpose.     Her  jjart  having  been  previously  a  character  of  historic 
representation,   picturing   the    enticement   of   the    sun-goddess    from    her 
cavern,  the  transition  was  easier.     She  and  lier  husband  performed  for 
a    livelihood.     For 
some  reason,  she  often 
assumed  the  part  of  a 
man,  while  he   acted 
that  of  a  woman.     A 
rude   platform   was 
raised  on  the  dry  bed 
of  the  river,  and  they 
became     known    as 
"  the  river-bed  folks." 
As  might  be  expected, 
their  patrons  were  not 
of    the   higher    class, 
but  they  met  with  a 
success   that   enabled 
them  to  Uve  comfort- 
ably.    Soon   others 
followed  them,  but  it 
was  a   long  time  be- 
fore this  estiiblishment 
of   a  theatre  was  re- 
ceived with  favour  by 
the  upper  class.  Seek- 
ing  broader    fields, 
and  it  may  have  been 
with  tlie  hope  of  elevating  their  standing,  0-Kiuii  and  her  hu.sljaud,  with 
a  goodly  company,  repaired  to  Tokyo.     But  there  was  no  river-bi-d  for 
their  rude  theatre;  the  danseuses  deported  themselves  in  a  niamu'r  which 
brought  down  upon  them  puldic  condemnation,  so  that  finally,  in   1043, 
government  ordered  that  females  should  no  longer  act  in  pul)lic  with  men. 
The  parts  of  females,  if  acted  at  all,  should  Ije  taken  by  men. 

This  edict  brought  into  the  field  an  actor  who  was  capable  of  taking 


TKA  -  IIIICSI-:  (iini 


548 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


the  feminine  part  of  the  play  with  a  fidelity  which  defied  the  critics,  and 
became  so  perfect  that  many  refused  to  believe  a  deception  had  been  prac- 
tised. This  actor,  whose  name  was  Genzaemon,  had  followers  who  carried 
the  art  even  farther  than  he,  so  that  the  refinements  of  feminine  deport- 
ment, the  rare  quali- 
ties and  grace  of  the 
womanly  parts  were 
so  accurately  repro- 
duced that  it  seemed 
incredible  that  such 
lifelike  playing  was 
the  work  of  the  male 
sex.  The  restriction 
forbidding  women  to 
appear  on  the  stage 
has  been  removed, 
but  such  as  have 
attempted  the  his- 
trionic art  have  been 
so  low  in  morals  that 
they  have  not  re- 
ceived public  I'eeog- 
nition.  The  theatre 
is  now  patronised  by 
the  better  classes,  but 
the  actors  have  failed 
so  far  to  win  their 
way  into  the  good 
graces  of  society,  and 
they  are  not  likely  to  until  they  have  elevated  the  standard  of  their  own  lives. 
There  are  no  chairs  in  a  Japanese  theatre,  and  the  spectators  must  sit 
on  their  knees.  The  parquet  is  a  bare  floor,  having  neither  benches,  chairs, 
nor  aisles.  Tlic  better  portion  of  the  crowd  sit  within  an  enclosure  sep- 
arated by  a  rail,  and  corresponding  to  our  parquet  circle.  This  is  raised 
about  two  feet.  Between  acts  children  are  allowed  to  go  upon  the  stage, 
and  i)lay  at  their  will.     If  tlii'  lh':it  is  oppressive.  ;is  it  often  is,  men  appear 


AN    ACTOi:. 


.lAl'AX. 


549 


quite  naked,  except  for  tlie  loin-clutli,  and  the  women  do  not  hesitate  to 
remove  their  clothing  entire  to  the  waist,  no  one  thinking  it  improper 
to  do  so. 

Among  the  more  intellectual  entertainments  the  gundan,  or  war-story, 
deserves  to  rank  first.  This  comes  nearest  to  our  lecture  of  anything  in 
Japanese  life,  and  has  served  more  than  all  else  to  maintain  an  interest 
in  the  past  histor}-  of  the  country,  and  to  inform  the  people  of  its  secrets. 
Until  this  form  of  public  entertainment  was  instituted  by  some  Buddhist 


priest,  the  common  class  was  in  woeful  ignorance  of  the  warlike  aims  and 
deeds  of  the  patricians.  In  fact,  such  matters  were  not  allowed  to  be 
discussed,  and  even  the  literature  of  the  times  contained  nothing  more 
than  the  l«ire  mention  of  military  events  from  time  to  time.  For  this 
reason  even  the  patricians  became  densely  ignorant  of  the  history  of  their 
country.  Thus,  when  the  friars  of  medianal  Japan,  who  were  possessors 
of  this  knowledge,  began  to  give  their  reciUils  before  patrician  audiences, 
the  gundan  immediately  became  very  i)opidar.  But  it  was  two  and  a  half 
centuries  later  before  the  lectures  were  given  publicly,  so  that  the  common 
class  could  listen  to  tliese  militarv  classics. 


550  THE    FAR    EAST. 

This  popularity  came  about  through  the  misfortunes  of  one  of  the 
sumarais,  who  had  figured  prominently  in  tiie  gorgeous  pageants  of  his 
earlier  years.  As  a  means  of  making  a  livelihood,  he  stationed  himself 
within  the  court  of  the  temple  of  Twmma  Tenjin  at  Kyoto,  when  a  festi- 
val was  in  process,  and  began  to  relate  in  stirring  language  some  of  the 
scenes  in  which  he  had  played  a  conspicuous  part.  The  worshippers  at  the 
shrine  soon  gave  him  an  attentive  ear,  and  lie  reaped  undreamed-of  reward 
for  his  vivid  portrayals.  Others,  seeing  his  success,  and  in  need  of  such 
means  to  earn  a  livelihood,  rather  than  to  seek  the  vulgar  calling  of  a 
trade,  imitated  his  example.  In  this  way  men  came  to  devote  their  whole 
lives  to  perfecting  the  art  of  oratory,  so  that,  in  time,  the  lecture  became 
not  only  a  favoured  way  of  entertainment,  but  no  little  talent  was  dis- 
played by  the  raconteurs.  The  narrator,  or  koshaku-shi,  is  no  mere 
declaimer  from  some  arbitrary  text ;  what  he  has  to  tell  has  not  been  re- 
corded in  any  public  document.  He  moves  through  his  recital  with  all  the 
effectiveness  of  an  actor,  each  part  of  liis  narrative  being  in  perfect  accord 
with  the  customs  and  environments  of  the  period  he  describes.  He  at- 
tempts no  dramatical  display,  but,  seated  on  a  mat  before  a  desk,  holding 
in  one  hand  a  fan  and  in  the  other  a  paper  baton,  he  begins  in  a  simple 
manner,  gradually  rising  in  earnestness  and  intensity,  as  he  forcibly 
describes  the  passions  that  swayed  the  hearts  of  men,  the  gentle  influence 
of  women,  the  anxious  prelude  to  battle,  the  clash  of  the  contestants, — 
the  swiftly-moving  baton,  as  it  falls  sharply  upon  the  wooden  lecturn, 
giving  a  vivid  idea  of  the  shock  of  arms,  the  din  of  the  armed  combat- 
ants, the  dash  and  surge  of  the  wild  hordes ;  and  then  the  climax,  the 
broken  ranks  retreating  in  wild  disorder,  and  the  hoarse  cries  of  the 
victors,  —  all  depicted  with  remarkable  fidelity,  until  the  spectators  behold 
with  their  mind's  eye  the  entire  picture  from  beginning  to  end. 

The  amount  of  good  done  by  these  lecturers  in  imparting  information  to 
the  masses  can  scarcely  be  estimated,  and  yet  they  are  poorly  paid,  except 
in  rare  cases  of  the  masters  of  the  art.  The  followers  of  this  profession 
are  divided  into  what  are  considered  schools,  each  division  tracing  its  origin 
to  some  successful  originator  of  that  style  in  the  past.  All  are  devoted  to 
particular  descriptions  of  some  feature  of  history,  such  as  the  treachery  of 
some  important  clansman,  the  quarrel  of  some  powerful  chief,  some  critical 
point  in  the  condition  of  the  conntr}',  tlie  rise  of  some  obscure  warrior,  the 


JAPAN.  551 

career  of  some  renowned  liero,  the  romantic  love  episode  of  an  ancient 
gallant,  and  similar  deeds  and  situations  as  may  be  easily  imagined  as 
belonging  to  the  history  of  the  romantic  feudal  age.  There  are  over  three 
hundred  lecturers  in  Tokyo  alone,  many  of  them  men  of  marl<ed  literary 
and  oratorical  ability.  There  are  the  tragedians,  while  there  are  those 
following  a  different  line,  who  aim  simply  to  amuse.  This  class  take  for 
their  themes  only  romantic  incidents,  appealing  to  the  sympathy  or  pleas- 
ure of  their  audiences. 


A    BROOM    SELLER. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 


WHEN    THE    WOKLD    WAS    NEW. 


IT  was  fifteen  hundred  years  ago,  under  the  reign  of  Emperor  Richu, 
the  seventeenth  in  descent  from  the  first  mortal  sovereign,  Jimmu, 
that  an  attempt  was  made  to  wea\e  a  history  out  of  the  confused 
mass  of  traditions  and  mysticisms  enveloping  the  origin  and  rise  of 
the  Japanese  people.  From  that  date,  400  a.  d.,  the  history  of  the  island 
empire  may  be  readily  divided  into  five  periods,  viz. :  the  first,  beginning 
with  the  legends  of  the  misty  ages,  and  ending  with  the  establishment 
at  Nara  of  the  wandering  court  of  tlie  Empress  Jito  in  the  early  part  of 
the  eighth  century ;  the  second,  comprising  the  early  civilisation  of  Nara 
and  Kyoto,  ending  with  the  twelfth  century ;  the  third,  the  era  of  civil 
wars,  which  closed  with  the  battle  of  Sekigahara,  1600;  the  fourth,  the 
period  of  the  Tokugawa  shogunate,  closing  in  1867  ;  the  fifth  and  last, 
consisting  of  the  late  years  of  foreign  intercourse  and  Japanese  progress 
under  the  present  emperor. 

It  is  not  an  tasy  task  to  trace  the  origin  and  growth  of  this  people ;  to 


JAPAN.  553 

discover  amid  the  shadowy  army  of  mythological  beings  the  first  ruler, 
Jimimi ;  to  describe  the  dynasty  he  is  s;iid  to  have  founded ;  to  portray 
the  civilisation  that  was  built  upon  the  ruins  of  tradition ;  the  arts  and 
literature  that  flourished  amid  such  surroundings  as  we  of  the  American 
Republic  cannot  understand,  and  at  that  period  when  the  glory  of  this 
vast  continent  emanated  from  glittering  temples  and  golden  shrines,  which 
have  long  since  crumbled  into  ruins,  without  leaving  a  record  of  their 
builders.  But  if  the  blotted  pages  are  filled  with  a  bewildering  array  of 
rival  rulers  in  all  stages  of  power,  a  shifting  rabble  of  worshippers  at 
shrines  dedicated  to  a  medley  of  deities  whom  nobody  professed  to  under- 
stand, until  it  is  impossible  to  sift  out  the  real  from  the  unreal,  and  fix  the 
actual  situation  in  the  mind,  above  the  clashing  of  arras  and  confusion  of 
scenes,  as  the  image  of  the  unsheltered  Bronze  Buddlia  remains  to  attest 
to  the  one-time  glory  of  the  Genji  clan  at  Kamakura,  while  the  dust  of  its 
castles  has  mingled  with  the  sand  of  its  plains,  and  the  glitter  of  arms 
is  drowned  in  the  changeless  sea,  so  here  and  there  along  the  path  of  ages 
some  stalwart  figure,  entwined  with  stories  of  heroism  and  nobility,  stands 
out  in  bold  relief.  Foremost  among  these  appears  the  Goddess  of  the  Sun, 
who,  in  the  traditions  of  a  vivid-minded  race,  was  the  motlier  of  royalty  ; 
at  the  head  of  the  dusky  army  of  the  ancients  rises  the  Empress  Jingu  ; 
next  on  the  shifting  stage  the  invincible  Hideyoshi,  the  Taiko,  and  the 
Ciesar  of  the  Middle  Ages ;  lyeyasu,  the  Augustus  of  the  Golden  Age ;  and 
then  Keiki,  the  Cromwell  of  the  Tokugawa  shoguns.  When  we  have  seen 
these  resume  their  places  in  the  dazzling  retinues,  and  noted  their  victori- 
ous marches,  we  have  brought  Old  Japan  before  us,  with  its  simplicity  of 
common  life,  its  gorgeous  military  pageants,  its  heroism  and  patriotism, 
its  cruel  ambitions,  its  displays  of  the  love  of  life,  and  its  remarkable 
indifference  to  death. 

Whether  the  people  now  inhabiting  Dai  Nippon  originally  sprang  from 
mixed  races,  and,  if  that  were  true,  whether  tiiey  were  aliens  to  these 
islands,  remains  to-day  a  mooted  problem,  though  the  theory  to  be  advanced 
here  is  that  accepted  by  the  majority  of  historians  and  antiquarians.  As 
we  are  about  to  follow  this  trail  of  the  races,  our  Japanese  friend  gravely 
reminds  us  that  the  very  earliest  inhabitants  were  descendants  of  the  god- 
dess that  dwelt  upon  Tokama-no-hara.  or  the  Plains  of  High  Heaven.  We 
lend  a  respectful  attention  while  he  relates  the  tradition  of  the  gods. 


554 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


In  the  misty  past,  before  time,  when  all  the  world  was  chaos,  and  th^ 
stars  and  moon,  the  earth  and  sky,  were  formless  and  only  a  vapour,  was 
the  birth-time  of  the  gods.  Then  only  phantom  shapes  flitted  hither  and 
thither  across  the  space  of  eternity,  as  clouds  drift  over  the  surface  of  the 
heavens.  An  inunense  bulrush-bud,  piercing  the  infinite  distance,  gave 
birth  to  the  first  deity.  This  was  followed  by  others,  until,  after  three 
generations  of  created  objects,  and  where  the  tip  of  the  bulrush  had 
pierced  the  space,  four  pairs  of  heavenly  spirits  came  into  being.     For  the 


.1     WBJ.WJtW       [   iJ.R 


first  time  a  division  was  now  made,  and  the  last  pair  of  gods  were  given 
the  task  of  creating  the  earth.  This  couple,  the  source  of  all  life,  were 
Izanagi,  the  God  of  the  Air,  and  Izana-mi,  the  Goddess  of  the  Clouds.  A 
fathomless  gulf  lay  at  that  time  between  heaven  and  the  chaos  of  region' 
beyond,  the  space  spanned  by  a  floating  bridge  of  heaven,  one  end  se- 
curely upheld  on  a  mountain  peak  and  the  other  on  the  wall  of  distance. 
Tins  pair,  walking  on  the  bridge,  marked  the  void  below,  and  the  God 
of  Air  said  to  the  Goddess  of  the  Clouds:  "Let  us  visit  the  king- 
dom beneath.  There  needs  be  a  firmament  there."  Then  he  struck 
his  jewel-tipped  spear  into  the  mass  below  them,  and  from  the  pearly 


JAPAN.  555 

drops  congealing  on  the  point,  an  island  was  formed  in  the  boundless 
region. 

The  earth-maker  and  his  companion  then  descended  the  Heavenly  Bridge 
to  see  what  sort  of  a  country  had  been  formed.  The  sight  of  it  pleased 
them  so  much  that  Izanagi  called  up  a  high  mountain  to  hold  the  end  of 
the  floating  bridge,  and  he  and  Izanami,  pledging  themselves  to  wed  and 
remain  together  on  the  earth,  set  out  separately  to  explore  its  distant  parts. 
He  followed  the  foot  of  the  mountain  toward  the  east,  and  she  going 
toward  the  west,  they  kept  on  until  eventually  they  came  in  sight  of  each 
other.  Upon  discovering  him  afar  off,  the  Godde.ss  of  the  Clouds  exclaimed, 
witli  undisguised  admiration,  "  How  pleasant  it  is  to  meet  such  a  noble- 
looking  youth!"  Wishing  to  be  equally  as  gallant  he  replied,  "Not  so 
pleasant  as  it  is  to  meet  such  a  fair  and  lovely  maiden."  The  couple  then 
completed  their  marriage  by  clasping  hands  and  began  to  set  in  order  tlieir 
new  home. 

Soon  afterward  their  bright  prospects  began  to  darken.  The  new  lands 
created  by  Izanagi  proved  barren  and  desolate ;  their  first-born  son  was 
weak  both  in  body  and  mind.  Disappointed  in  each  other  and  everything 
about  tliem,  they  returned  to  the  palace  of  the  heavenly  spirits,  when  tlioy 
were  told  that  all  their  misfortunes  had  taken  place  because  Izanami  had 
been  the  first  to  speak  at  that  meeting  beyond  the  mountain  world.  To 
recover  the  treasures  they  had  lost  they  must  woo  and  wed  again,  l)eiiig 
careful  this  time  to  obey  the  divine  injunction.  The  couple  again  crossed 
over  the  floating  bridge,  and  Izanagi  speaking  first  when  they  mot  on  their 
journey  around  the  mountain,  great  happiness  came  to  their  lot.  Thev 
created  all  the  islands  of  Dai  Nippon,  and  from  the  foam  of  the  rolling 
breakers,  as  they  surged  against  the  mainland,  was  formed  China  and  the 
rest  of  the  world.  They  had  children  born  to  them,  the  Ruler  of  Rivers, 
the  Deity  of  Mountains,  the  God  of  Forests,  and  the  Goddess  of  Flowers. 
Izanagi  was  much  pleased,  but  a.s  he  looked  around  over  the  beautiful 
land.scape,  lonely  in  its  glory,  he  Siiid,  "  Tiiere  should  be  one  higher  and 
nnbler  to  rule  and  protect  this  fair  world." 

A  daughter  was  born  to  this  couple,  and  her  beauty  was  so  dazzling  and 
her  deportment  so  regal  that  nothing  below  a  throne  in  high  heaven  would 
.suit  her  .station.  She  was  Amaterasu,  the  Sim  Goddess,  and  the  jov  of 
Izanagi  was  so  great  that   lie  e.xclaimeii  :  '•  She  shall  rule  the  universe 


I 


556 


THE   FAR   EAST. 


from  the  Blue  Plain  of  High  Heaven.  Her  clear  smile  shall  gladden  the 
whole  world.  Fleecy  clouds  shall  be  her  handmaidens,  and  glistening 
dewdrops  her  messengers  of  love." 

After  the  birth  of  the  Goddess  of  Light  a  son  was  born  to  the  happy- 
deities,  and  as  his  was  a  dreamlike  beauty  of  the  gentle  evening,  he  Avas 
given  a  home  in  the  far  sky,  and  given  alternate  rule  with  his  sister.  His 
name  was  Tsukvi-yomi,  the  Moon  God.     Izanagi  and  Izanami  had  other 


A    GAUDKN    t  A-l  .'>l)i:. 


children,  who  were  not  blessed  with  such  glory.  Two  may  be  mentioned, 
the  God  of  Fire  and  the  more  to  be  feared  Susa-no-o,  who  preferred  shadow 
to  light,  whose  smile  was  a  blight  to  flowers  and  plants,  and  who  was 
given  the  sovereignty  of  the  sea.  He  soon  became  extremely  jealous  of 
his  sister  Amaterasu,  and  resigning  his  kingship  over  the  ocean  reigned  as 
the  Moon  God,  in  the  hope  that  he  might  better  outrival  her. 

The  Sun  Goddess  was  loved  by  all,  and  under  the  benign  influence  of 
her  smile  the  earth  yielded  up  from  its  treasure-house  the  iris  and  orchid, 
the  cherry  and  plum  blossom,  the  pine  and  bamboo,  the  maple  and  wistaria. 


JAPAN. 


557 


the  rice  and  hump.  The  niouutaiii.-5  were  clothed  in  deep  green  vestments, 
the  plains  strewn  with  flower.'^,  and  tlie  Inland  Sea  veiled  in  silvery  ganze. 
She  had  but  to  whisper  her  wish  and  it  was  answered.  While  she  plied 
her  shuttles  celestial  maidens  sang  of  the  joy  and  peace  on  earth. 

Susa-no-o  looked  on  all  this  l)y  night  and  was  angry  from  jealousy.  So 
he  did  everything  in  his  power  to  make  existence  miserable  for  his  siste  , 
who  finally  tied  to  a  cave  to  escape  his  persecution.  The  universe  was 
then  plunged  into  darkness,  and  strife  and  turmoil  reigned  supreme.     The 


litis  (;aui>kn. 


god.s,  becoming  alarmed  fur  the  welfare  of  every  beautiful  thing,  and  even 
for  their  own  safety,  assembled  to  see  what  could  be  done.  Knowing  that 
the  Sun  Goddess  alone  could  save  them,  they  began  to  devise  plans  to  call 
her  forth  from  her  retirement.  But  plan  after  plan  was  tried  and  failed, 
until  that  of  the  magic  mirror  was  re.sorted  to.  Great  fires  were  built 
about  the  entrance  to  the  cave,  and  eight  hundred  merry  maidens  were 
told  to  laugh.  As  the  merry  peals  of  laughter  made  tlie  eartli  treml>le. 
Amaterasu  looked  shyly  forth  to  discover  that  it  was  light,  when  she  had 
supposed  that  darkness  was  reigning.  Upon  asking  what  this  meant,  she 
was  told  that  a  goddess  rivalling  her  had  come  among  them.     She  believed 


558 


THE    FAR    EAST. 


this  when  she  gazed  into  the  mirror  and  saw  her  own  matchless  reliection. 
This  caused  her  to  step  outside  the  cave,  and,  to  stop  her  from  returning, 
a  rope  of  rice-straw  was  deftly  drawn  across  the  entrance.  The  eight  hun- 
dred merry  deities  cried  out,  '"  May  the  Sun  Goddess  always  stay  with  us." 
Thus  darkness  was  driven  from  the  world  and  happiness  and  rejoicing 
again  held  sway. 

But  if  freed  from  darkness,  the  earth  was  still  peopled  with  evil  spirits. 


GARDEN    AT    KAGOSHIMA. 


and  tliere  was  no  peace  by  day  or  night.  Tlien  tlie  deities  decided  to  send 
some  one  down  to  quell  the  wild  riot  and  prepare  the  people  for  the  rule 
of  Amaterasu's  grandson,  Prince  Generous-Giver.  But  of  the  agents  sent 
to  do  this  difficult  task,  as  many  as  tlu*ee  failed.  One  lost  courage  at  the 
very  outset ;  another  fell  a  victim  to  the  violence  of  the  mob ;  and  still 
a  third  was  captivated  by  the  blandishments  of  a  beautiful  maiden  who 
met  him  on  the  seashore.  He  found  life  here  so  fascinating  that  he  forgot 
his  mission,  even  forgot  his  brother  deities,  and  revelled  in  the  toils  of  a 


JAPAN. 


559 


vulgar  life.  Finally  the  Sun  Goddess  sent  a  pheasant  to  inquire  why  her 
messenger  tarried  so  long.  But  the  delinquent  deity  was  so  angry  over 
the  appeal  of  the  bird  that  he  shot  lier  with  a  bow  and  arrow.  The 
pheasant  fell,  and  the  arrow  continued  its  flight  to  the  feet  of  the  Goddess 
of  the  Snn  on  her  throne  in  high  heaven.  Anticipating  that  evil  had 
befallen  her  loved  pheasant,  from  the  blood  on  the  .shaft,  she  sent  the 
arrow  back  to  earth,  with  the  injunction  that  it  find  the  evil-doer. 

A  mitrhtv  storm  arose  soon  after,  and  on  its  wings  the  dead  bodv  of 


the  faithless  prince  was  laid  at  his  father's  feet.  Then  there  was  weeping 
and  wailing,  fur  he  had  been  dearly  l)elovod,  and  a  great  mourning-house 
was  raised.  But  in  the  midst  of  this  lamentation  a  brother  of  the  dead 
prince  appeared,  and  was  mistaken  for  the  traitor.  This  so  offended  the 
former  that  he  cut  down  the  mourning-house  witli  his  ten-grasp  sword, 
and  .scattered  the  ruins  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven. 

This  feat  cau.sed  the  others  U)  declare  that  he,  Taku-Mika,  was  the  very 
one  to  subdue  the  evil  spirits  below.  In  answer  to  Amaterasu's  reque.st 
he  started  at  once  on  his  warlike  mission.  He  was  accompanied  by  a 
boon    companion    named    Tori-bune.      Upon    reaching    the    -1i-t.'    of    lb.* 


560  THE   FAR   EAST. 

troubled  land,  in  what  is  now  the  province  of  Idzumo,  the  doughty  twain 
placed  their  swords  on  the  crest  of  the  waves,  and  seated  themselves  on 
the  points  of  the  weapons.  In  this  manner  they  were  able  to  defend 
themselves  from  the  evil  spirits  of  the  earth  until  they  had  conquered 
them. 

The  Goddess  of  the  Sun  was  greatly  pleased  over  the  exploit  of  her 
latest  emissaries,  and  she  at  once  instructed  her  grandson,  Ninigi,  Prince 
Generous-Giver,  to  go  at  once  to  the  earth  and  begin  his  reign,  which  she 
foretold  would  be  one  of  peace  and  plenty,  and  from  this  fact  he  became 
known  as  "  Ruddy-Plenty,  the  Rice  Prince."  Among  the  treasures  that 
she  gave  him  was  the  famous  mirror,  which  had  restored  light  to  the 
world. 

Prince  Ninigi  looked  on  the  A'ast  pine  forests,  the  reed  plains  and  the 
mountains,  the  rivers  and  seas,  and  was  greatly  pleased  with  his  domains. 
But  this  son  of  the  gods  was  lonesome  in  the  midst  of  his  plenty,  until 
he  met  one  day  on  the  shore  of  the  Inland  Sea  a  maiden  of  such  loveliness 
as  he  had  never  dreamed.  Falling  in  love  with  her,  and  learning  that  she 
was  the  daughter  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Mountains,  he  sought  her  father  to 
ask  for  her  hand  in  marriage.  Now  it  so  happened  that  this  deity  had  an 
older  daughter  who  he  was  especially  anxious  should  wed  before  her 
sister.  But  she  was  very  plain,  and  Ninigi  would  not  take  her  in  place 
of  the  beautiful  Ko-no-hane,  Princess  Tree-Blossom.  This  so  angered  the 
older  sister  that  she  exclaimed  in  anger :  "  You  have  made  a  foolish 
choice.  Had  you  chosen  me,  you  and  your  children  would  have  lived  to 
a  good  old  age ;  but  as  you  have  chosen  my  sister,  all  your  children  and 
children's  children  will  perish  as  the  blossoms  of  the  trees."  This  explains 
why  human  life  is  not  as  long  as  that  of  the  gods  who  lived  on  earth 
before  the  advent  of  man.  But  Prince  Ninigi  and  his  beautiful  wife  were 
very  happy  during  their  mortal  life,  and  from  them  have  descended  the 
royal  rulers  of  Dai  Nippon. 


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